Alone
by Sonia Raziella
Summary: "Stop. Edward, Alice, just don't. My past... it's not happy. At all." Bella knew that returning to Forks was a mistake, even if it was the only safe option. She could never let an outsider know her past; they were only supposed to see the clumsy, sweet, sensitive girl who couldn't hurt a fly. She could never let anyone know who she truly was – a spy. A thief. A professional killer.
1. Preface: I Run Away Again

**Preface: I Run Away… Again**

**August 12, 2012: Oxford High School, Oxford, England**

* * *

I can never stay in one place for too long. Ever. I should have learned my lesson by now.

"Crap," I muttered as another window shattered. I pressed back further into the wall and held the gun closer to my chest, treating it like it was my lifeline. In a way, it was. I closed my eyes, trying to create a mental map of my surroundings. Opening my eyes and glancing around, I realized that all of the doors leading out of the room were either a.) locked, or b.) locked and blocked by rubble.

There went Plan A. Windows it was, then.

Another crash dragged me out of my thoughts and back to startling reality. This time, though, the crash was followed by a loud swear and banging against one of the doors, one that was _not _blocked by rubble. Another bang. Shouts for more help.

They were getting in.

Immediately, I pushed myself off the ground and looked out the window, or what remained of it, and sighed. Asphalt, of course.

I went to the next window, which miraculously had somehow not shattered. Picking up the nearest rock I threw it against it. Nothing happened. I shook my head in disbelief before lifting up my gun. Pointing it at the window, I pulled the trigger. I heard the glass break, and I also heard the noise at the door stop for a second before starting up again, full force.

The only thought in my mind was to not let them get me alive. I tore down the nearest curtain and threw one end out the window while tying the other to the window handles. I started to make my way down the side of the building, pausing every few seconds to listen and see whether or not they had gotten through the door yet.

"Please, please, please, just a few more seconds…"

I heard the door being slammed open against the wall and the frantic shouts of "Where is she?" just as I hit the ground. I took off running as fast I could, never stopping to look back.

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**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight; I don't own anything but my own ideas!**

**Let me know what you think :)**

**-Sonia**


	2. Forks, Washington

**Chapter 1: Forks, Washington**

**August 14, 2012: Plane back to Forks, Washington**

* * *

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."

-Mae West

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to begin our final descent into Forks, Washington. Currently, the weather is…" I tuned out the pilot. I've heard the same dialogue hundreds of times before, considering that airplanes are amazing ways to get out of almost any country. Fast.

Oxford High School was a pleasant experience, at least until _they_ showed up. It seemed safe since I'd been going there for almost two years, so I had stopped carrying too many weapons with me; I only carried a small pistol. That was a big mistake. A lockdown was announced a few minutes after lunch; I was terrified. Not for myself, but for everyone else. They had no idea what was happening; they thought it was just a few lunatics going crazy with guns, while I knew they were highly trained spies with one objective: to get me alive.

After that incident, I got a call from my "dad". He was actually one of my foster parents from the time before when I became a target and had to start running. I had to fake an acceptation into Oxford High School to get away and prevent putting him in danger. Apparently he had gotten a call saying that the high school had been attacked, so he had immediately booked the next flight from Oxford to Forks. Lucky for me, he had no idea that I had also spent quite some time in Germany, France, and Italy, while running away from _them_. (Of course, the high school didn't know this. They thought that I had to go back to the U.S. since my "mother", Renee, was extremely sick.)

I stumbled out of the plane, acting once again like the klutz I used to be before fighting for my life became a rather common habit.

"Bella! Over here!"

I heard Charlie before I saw him. I actually cared about him, because unlike some other foster parents, he knew when to let me have some time to myself instead of constantly hovering over me.

"Dad!" I shouted. As I got closer, I tripped once again, since that was what I would have normally done before everything… changed.

He chuckled. "Same old Bella, I see," he said as he caught me. If only he knew.

The drive home was wordless. Neither of us were good at expressing too many emotions, him because it just wasn't him, and me because years of running and fighting had taken their toll.

We got out of the police cruiser and Charlie helped me with my bags. It was silent until we got to my room. "Bells, do you remember Jacob? Billy's son?" he asked me.

"Jacob Black? Yeah, of course I do." I couldn't forget him if I tried. Seriously.

"Well, he's been excited to see you. Just putting it out there."

"Same here," I said, less enthusiastically. I needed to perfect my acting; Jacob was my best bud. He would see right through me.

"Alright then, so school starts tomorrow. I'll, uh, let you get used to your room and everything," he said awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Thanks, dad," I smiled. Anything to get him out of here; I just really needed to be alone right now.

He finally left, and I had the whole room to myself. I flopped down onto the bed and stared out the window. Tomorrow would be filled with pretending not to be a professional assassin that could kill off the whole school singlehandedly.

I groaned and fell back onto the bed. I still remember the last time I was in here, and it wasn't a good memory. Far from it…

_I had slowly made my way up the stairs. Everyone had just gone home after my ninth birthday party, and I was tired as hell. I had been heading to bed while my parents stayed up and watched some more TV. Going straight to my room, I had just changed into my pajamas since I was too sleepy to take a shower. I had collapsed onto my bed, and blacked out. After a few hours, a noise had wakened me up._

"_Tap tap tap. Tap tap. Tap."_

_I wasn't fully awake yet, so I had just closed my eyes again._

"_TAP TAP TAP. TAP TAP. TAP."_

_I had woken up with a start. I turned around and screamed. There was a shape outside the window, a shadow with something in its hand._

_I had screamed again as, realizing that he had been spotted, the person broke the window __open __and jumped inside. I could see the gun he was holding as he came closer…_

I woke up with a shock and jumped out of bed, crouching into a defensive pose. After looking around, my eyes landed on the clock next to my bed and I chuckled. I had fallen asleep for three hours. I glanced out the window and saw my dad talking to someone. It was Billy Black, I realized with a jolt. It was surprising to see him in a wheelchair.

I was tackled with a hug as I stepped outside. Just as I was about to grab the person's arm and bend it back painfully, I recognized him as Jacob.

"Jake! I need to breathe!" I gasped out, hanging limp like the old Bella would have. He let go of me and smiled, taking a step back. His smile immediately dropped, replaced by a confused look. I frowned and tried to look hurt on the outside while inside I was screaming bloody murder in panic.

"What? You're not happy to see me? Well fine, I'll just get the next flight back to England…" I hid a smile and turned around, stalking off. I didn't make it far before he grabbed my arm and spun me back around. I had to pretend to stumble. It was "normal" for me; the old me, anyway.

He grinned. "That's more like it. I was stunned that you didn't fall down when I surprised you back there. I was about to demand you tell me where the real Bella was immediately."

This is the real Bella, I wanted to say. The Bella that used to trip over a flat surface and get sick from the sight of blood? Yeah, she's gone. Dead. But I rolled my eyes instead. "Whatever. So what's up? Were you that excited to see me?" I asked, comically fluttering my eyes like an idiot.

Jacob burst out laughing, and I joined him. We eventually quieted down, and he sighed. "Yeah, I guess I couldn't wait. But hey, did your dad tell you about the gift yet?"

"What gift?" I turned to Charlie. "Dad?" I said warningly. I hated gifts; they made me feel bad since they reminded me that if I ever ran away, I would be hurting the people that loved me.

"Chill, Bells. It's nothing much, really. I got you a car. It's perfect for you," he said nervously. Billy was chuckling at his obvious discomfort.

"Oh, hi Billy! It's been a while," I said, remembering that I still hadn't greeted him. He only smiled in return and patted me on the back.

"Good to see you, kiddo."

That was when I noticed it. The big, red… thing.

"Oh, dad, you shouldn't have!" I said. Really, he shouldn't have, I thought. The Chevy truck looked like it could crumble to dust in any moment. Obviously, my dad mistook my sarcasm for real joy.

"You like it?" he asked.

"Yup. Sure do." I internally grimaced as I said that, even though I was used to lying effectively by now; it was a means of survival.

"Now you can go to school on your own. I just thought it would be nice, you know, as a homecoming present."

"Sure. Hey, I'm really tired right now, jet lag and all. Do you guys mind if I call it a night?" I asked.

"Oh no, not at all. See you next time, Bella," Billy said, smiling.

I was walking to the door when Jacob stopped me.

"Hey. I just wanted you to know that… well… I'm here for you if you had anything you needed to talk to someone about," he said, staring at me intently. Now I was worried.

"Umm… okay?" I replied, unsure o f where this conversation was going. I honestly hoped he wouldn't bring up how I was gone for almost seven years.

"I was just making sure you knew that, so…" He trailed off.

"See you later?" I offered.

"Sure. See you later." He smiled and walked back to Billy. I turned around and walked back, struggling not to bolt into the house.

As I the door closed behind me I breathed a sigh of relief. I would have to make sure I don't make Jacob any more suspicious, and then I would have to find a way to rewire that "thing" they call a truck and make the engine give out sometime before school tomorrow. I'd rather walk every day than drive _that_.

I jumped as my phone buzzed in my boot. I always kept it there so that if I had to get away in a moment's notice, I would be able to drop everything and run. It was also more secure in my boot than it would be in my pocket.

Debating whether or not to answer, I hit accept. "What is it, Gemma?"

"You made it there okay?" Gemma asked. She was one of my best friends and one of the best spies ever to walk on this planet (that was my age, of course).

"Yeah, I'm fine. Status update?"

"They're confused for now. They won't be able to track you all the way to Forks that soon since you switched flights, like, a zillion times."

I rolled my eyes. She really does exaggerate sometimes.

"It was only six times. And don't underestimate them." I thought about the last time when they caught me at the airport while I was switching flights.

_ "The past, especially __**my**__ past, is history. I am __**NOT**__ coming back."_

"_Come on, come with us. Or else…"_

_ "Don't hurt her!"_

_ "Five seconds…"_

_ "__**DON'T!**__"_

I shuddered. Someone died that day; because of _me_. I wasn't going to let that happen again. Not here. Not now.

"Hey. It'll be okay, got it? None of us hold your past against you, and no one will get you until they go through us," she said softly, knowing what I was thinking about.

"I know. But it's not me I'm worried about. What about everyone else? At home, at school, at-"

"Stop. Just stop worrying. It's just going to stress you out even more. Repeat after me. Everything is going to be fine."

"Everything is going to be fine," I repeated, feeling childish.

"Good. I'll call if I find anything new or important, kay kay?"

"Okay."

"Bye, and be careful. Never let your guard down. Ever." She hung up.

I put my phone back in my boot. I should destroy it soon, I thought. They could track me with the phone call.

I made my way upstairs, not ready to go to bed like I had said yet. Deciding to unpack, I opened my suitcase and took out the little briefcase from the bottom. Sneaking this onto the planes took some effort. Laying it on my bed, I had to remember the proper way to open it. Open the briefcase incorrectly, it would explode; it was specially designed so that the wrong people could never open it.

"Pocket knives… check. Daggers… check. Pistols… check." I closed the briefcase and pushed it under my bed. I'd find somewhere better to put it later, when I could think clearly.

I lay down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. It had been a long time since I had last been here. I sat up quickly before I remind myself of that night. Now was not the time to dwell on memories, especially bad ones. Grinning wryly I realized that bad memories were the only kind of memories I seemed to have.

My phone vibrated. It was a text… from Gemma. After unlocking it, I read the message. "Shut up and go to bed." I grinned. Gemma knew me too well; she was like the sister I never had… scratch that. She was like the not-blood-related-sister I _used_ to have… no. I would _not _go through that memory again. Locking my phone and putting it away, I cleared my mind of everything but one question: how will I ever survive the first day of high school…

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**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, I only own my ideas!**

**How was it? Not too bad right? Let me know! Your reviews are what tell me that _someone_ at least is reading this story.**

**By the way, in this story, Jacob and Bella are actually pretty good friends, not Bella and Jacob's sisters. And also, anything could happen in this story; I'm a "go with what your fingers type" kinda writer, so... yeah. (I'm not going to elaborate on that; it would give too much away.)**

**-Sonia**


	3. The First Day of High School

**Chapter 2: The First Day of High School is… Interesting**

**August 15, 2012: Driveway of Chief Swan's house, 2:00 A.M.**

* * *

"I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."

-Marilyn Monroe

* * *

"There," I muttered. I stood back to admire my work. On the outside, the truck looked normal, or as normal as a truck older than your father could look. But on the inside, the engine was rewired so that a few seconds after you turn on the ignition, it would back-fire. Then the truck would be about as valuable as… nothing. And that's only if it's currently worth more than that.

I frowned as I went back into the house. It was only 2 A.M. Four years with _them _had affected me more than I ever let on. Only Gemma knew that I couldn't sleep for more than three hours at a time and only four to five hours a day max, but not even she knew _why_ exactly. We had to run drills every morning at 12:00, 3:00, and 6:00. There was no guarantee that you would make it back to your bed alive…

_"You shot her!"_

_ "She was too slow. She was __**walking**__! Catching her breath, she said."_

_ "So you __**shot**__ her?"_

_ "It's a challenge of sorts, Isabella. To stay alive, you must prove your usefulness. It is your choice whether you want to stay alive or not…"_

_ "You're… evil. You're all __**MONSTERS**__!"_

_ "You will regret that, Isabella…"_

_ "No, you can't! You can't make me! **STOP IT**!"_

My eyes snapped open and let out a sigh of relief. I just had to hope I wouldn't have flashbacks like that during school… oh no. High school. I first packed my bag and put it next to the table, and then I ran upstairs and opened my closet. I scrunched my nose in distaste. I realized now how limited my wardrobe was.

Somehow, I managed to take a shower, get dressed, and make it downstairs by seven o'clock.

Charlie was already sitting at the table, sipping his coffee. He looked up and smiled.

"Someone's up early for school." He said, smiling.

"I couldn't sleep. Jet lag."

He nodded, buying my excuse. He went back to reading his paper as I picked up my bag and proceeded to walk outside.

"Oh, Bella, here are the keys to your truck," he said, getting up and making his way towards me. I groaned internally. Turning around, I put on a fake smile, telling myself it was only a few more minutes.

"Thanks, dad. I almost forgot."

I grabbed the keys and went outside. Charlie was waiting by the door, a real smile on his face. I almost felt bad that I was about to damage this truck beyond repair. Almost.

Getting in the truck, I put my keys in and started the ignition.

"Three, two, one," I whispered. In the next second, the engine made a loud popping sound. I got out of the truck and put on a shocked expression. Charlie came running after hearing the noise.

"You okay, Bells?" He asked me, popping the hood open and checking everything over.

"I'm fine, but the engine…" I trailed off.

"Is busted."

I decided that as soon as I was alone, I would do my happy dance.

"Oh," was all I said.

"If you want a ride to school, I could-"

"NO! I mean, no thanks, dad, but I'm fine walking. It'll help me get more used to my surroundings. So if I ever get lost or anything, I'll have some idea of where I am."

"Alright then. But if you ever need a ride-"

"Let you know," I finished, grinning. He chuckled.

"See you after school," I said, walking away.

"Bye. Have a nice day at school." He went inside.

I couldn't help but smile as soon as he was gone. The smile was quickly replaced by a frown as I took out my phone and checked the time. It was 7:20, and school started at 8:00. I hurried along, not wanting to be late for the first day of school.

* * *

**August 15, 2012: Forks High School, 7:45 A.M.**

* * *

"Thank you, Mrs. Cope."

"It was nothing, dear. Have a lovely first day at school."

I slowly headed to homeroom.

* * *

**August 15, 2012: Forks High School, Lunch**

* * *

I hated high school. I was official. Nothing they taught us was actually used every day in real life.

_"We will teach you useful things here, things that will keep you alive when math and reading won't. We will teach you how to __**survive**__."_

I gasped. Thank goodness that I was alone in the hallway right now, because I was sitting on the floor with my bag dropped next to me. I got up, picked up my bag, and almost ran on my way to lunch.

"Hey there, Bella! Sit with us!"

I grimaced. As luck would have it, Jessica Stanley had almost every class with me. It was fairly obvious she only wanted to be my "friend" because I was someone new. Something interesting.

I took my seat next to her and someone I met earlier named Eric Yorkie. Mike Newton frowned, clearly disappointed I didn't sit next to him. He recovered quickly, though, and almost immediately whispered something into Eric's ear. Eric grinned, and getting up, started running around the cafeteria with Mike chasing him. That left only me and Jessica at the table.

I turned to look at her and say something when I saw them.

There were five of them; three boys and two girls. All of them were beautiful; inhumanly gorgeous, and the very definition of perfection.

The first girl was short, thin, and had dark, spiky hair that stuck out in all directions and could be best described as cute.

The second girl was the complete opposite; she was tall, model-like and had long blonde hair that came down to the middle of her back. Just being in the same room as her would severely damage a girl's self-confidence.

The first boy was tall, easily over six feet. He was also muscular but lean and had honey blond hair.

The second boy was tall and muscled to the extreme. He would have been almost frightening if it wasn't for the constant grin on his face.

The last boy was tall, lanky, and more boyish than the others and had untidy, bronze hair. He also seemed younger than the others and was a lot more, for lack of a better word, god-like.

All of them had golden eyes and pale skin. They seemed lost in their own world, too, until Jessica resumed being, well, Jessica.

"Those are the Cullens," she whispered conversationally. I saw the boyish one look our way ever so slightly.

"Hmm," I whispered back, struggling not to roll my eyes.

"The short, cute girl is Alice. The tall, blonde, gorgeous one is Rosalie. The one boy who looks like he's in pain is Jasper. The really big one is Emmett, and the, umm, incredibly handsome one is Edward. They were all adopted by Carlisle Cullen, a doctor, and Esme Cullen. And the weird part is, they're all, like, together. Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. Edward's the only one that's single. Don't waste your time though, because apparently, none of us are good enough for him." Jessica seemed a bit disappointed as she said the last part, and I wondered how many time _she_ got rejected. I saw the corner of Edward's mouth turn up in a smirk, as if he could hear our conversation.

"Don't worry. I don't plan on it," I said leaning back in my chair. "I've got enough worry and pain in my life already," I added, quietly enough that she wouldn't hear. I didn't have to worry, though because she was turned around and laughing at Mike and Eric, who were now dancing on a table in the middle of the cafeteria. In fact, glancing around quickly, I realized that almost everyone was looking at them. The Cullens, however, were another matter.

They were all staring at me not so discreetly. Alice looked…out of it. Her eyes were glazed over and she was staring at the table. Jasper looked concerned for Alice but also seemed… confused. He had his arm around Alice but was gazing at me intently. Rosalie looked, well, disturbed; Emmett was the same. Edward, though, looked… troubled. He was obviously concentrating on something and seemed almost irritated, like he couldn't understand it. Our eyes met and for a second, I thought I saw a form of concern somewhere in his eyes.

Passing it off as my imagination, I hastily got up and picked up my bag, getting ready for my next class; Biology II.

* * *

**August 15, 2012: Forks High School, Biology II**

* * *

I stepped into Mr. Banner's biology room and immediately, by nature, scanned the area and made a mental list of potential threats and escape routes. Threats: none detected other than Mike Newton. Exits: The door and the windows. All of this passed through my mind in less than half a second.

"Isabella Swan. Come in, come in." Mr. Banner smiled.

_"Isabella Swan, is it? Come in. Do not struggle, or we will have to kill you."_

I kept my gasp under control and smiled back as if nothing had happened. Obviously, almost no one in the class noticed my hesitation. Except the Cullen. Edward Cullen. He was looking down at the table and was frowning, as if something didn't make sense. I fought not to panic.

I handed him my slip of paper and he pointed to the seat next to Edward. "Have a seat next to Mr. Cullen."

As I started walking, I could see Edward stiffen up. His eyes changed color as well; they were no longer a dark gold, but were instead a hungry black. Sitting down, I noticed that he had his hand over his nose and mouth, almost as if something, or someone, smelled bad. While Mr. Banner started his lesson, I casually turned my head and sniffed my hair. Strawberries. Now I was confused. What was his problem?

He was at the edge of his seat for the duration of the class, not once relaxing. It took all of my self control and restraint (not that I had any) to stop myself from screaming out at him. Instead, I giggled under my breath when I thought of how Gemma would react. She would have already taken her gun out and shot him point blank. Rylee and Tara would have done no different.

I sighed as I thought about them. The four of us were the inseparable ones at MI6; mostly since we were the youngest there. I remembered how we met; they had just gotten me out of _their_ stronghold, and we had been in a car. I hadn't known who they were yet.

"_It's alright, you'll be okay." Someone was trying to comfort me. That was Gemma. She had taken a liking to me almost immediately._

"_No one would be __**okay **__after being forced to do all of that. It's just… wrong. In so many ways…" That'd been Tara. She had been disgusted with what _they_ had made me go through; she still was. _

"_Guys, calm down. She doesn't look like she's fully conscious." That had been Rylee. She was always the calm and collected one._

"_Who would ever be conscious after going through all of __**that**__?" Tara again._

"_Maybe we should all shut up," was the last thing I had heard before passing out._

I almost jumped out of my seat when the bell rang. The first few things I noticed were a.) I had zoned out during biology. Completely. And b.) Edward Cullen was the first one out the door.

That hurt.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns ****Twilight****, not me. All I own is the new plot and any new characters that aren't in the books. **

**And Bella's friend "Rylee" is **_**way**_** different from the "Riley" in **_**Eclipse**_**. Starting with the fact that "Rylee" is a girl. :)**

**FanFiction wouldn't let me put the full chapter title up, in case some of you were wondering. It was too long, apparently.**

**I'm going to just tell you guys now (before I start getting my inbox jammed with PMs demanding I update ASAP) that from now on, updates are probably going to be about once a week-ish because of school and just life in general, but I will update when I can. Sometime every weekend, probably. And thank you all so much for the following and favoriting (That's not really a word, is it? =P) and all of the reviews. And there are going to be some characters in this story that aren't actually in the book (as you can see when Bella mentions Gemma, Tara, and Rylee). And I just do want to give you a heads up; Bella's friends will be coming to Forks later. I know some people don't like it when an author introduces new characters and makes them a pretty big part of the plot, so I wanted to warn all of you guys in case you wouldn't want to read this story anymore. And if that's the case, I won't hold anything against any of you :). But Bella's past will get clearer when her friends arrive; I know it's pretty confusing right now. That's all I'm going to say.**

**-Sonia**


	4. Mindreading, Confusion, and Bloodlust

**Chapter 3: Mindreading, Confusion, and Bloodlust**

**August 15, 2012: Cullen Residence**

* * *

"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."

-Martin Luther King Jr.

* * *

**EPOV**

Going to high school. Again. And again. And again. It gets rather… tiring, after a little less than a century of doing the same exact thing. Granted, the technology and learning techniques have vastly improved; but at its core, high school is still high school. I groaned, realizing we had only thirty minutes till we had to leave for school.

_Today's going to be different, Edward._

"Alice," I sighed, "just tell me." She's been hiding something from me lately, and it's been bugging me to no end.

_You'll see._ Did I mention that she could be cryptic nuisance? I think I forgot.

Don't get me wrong; she's the only sister whose thoughts, and actions, were those that I could actually stand. Rosalie just had, well, problems. But with her story, I can't exactly blame her for being… her. And she wasn't _always_ shallow and self-centered. Just most of the time.

_Hey, use that brain of yours, bro. I know you have one… right? Even _I_ know what Alice is talking… or thinking… about! Who's coming to school, Eddie? Other than the usual three hundred plus kids._

"Don't call me Eddie," I muttered, knowing he heard me when his loud snort echoed around the house. That was when what Emmett said… thought… really sunk in.

'_Who's coming to school, Eddie?'_

"Isabella Swan," I said slowly. "The Chief's daughter. What about her?" I asked out loud.

"Eddie figured it out! He _does_ have a brain!"

I could hear the chuckles from all around the house.

"Shut up, Emmett. And Alice, is _she_ the reason everything's going to be 'different'?" I asked again, knowing the answer before she even said, no, before she even _thought_ it.

"You'll see, Edward. You'll see." That was her reply. Again.

"Stupid, cryptic, evil pixie," I mumbled, knowing she would hear. All I got as a response was a giggle.

* * *

**August 15, 2012: Forks High School, Cafeteria**

* * *

Alice was practically hyperventilating with delight. Not that it was unusual.

But she was also blocking her thoughts. Again.

"Alice," I groaned, "Please. Just this once, tell me what's on your mind. I'll buy you a whole collection by your favorite designer. Please."

I was begging by now.

"Hmm, tempting," the wicked pixie mused, "but no, thanks. The next collection won't be _that_ great." She smirked, enjoying my restlessness.

_Oooooh, Eddie's getting frustrated… _I could almost _see_ Emmett's mental grin.

Alice suddenly straightened up.

"Here she comes!"

My whole family was tense, of course, waiting, but nothing showed. No expressions, no emotions, nothing. Even the conversations we have are to low and fast for humans to hear. And that was when someone new entered the cafeteria. Someone I had never seen before.

The ever-so-annoying Jessica Stanley, whom I had turned down numerous times, spoke first. "Hey there, Bella! Sit with us!" I could hear in her mind that she didn't actually care for Bella like a true friend should have; she just hung out with Bella because Mike Newton, the golden retriever of the school, had taken a liking to her. I could hear the jealousy in her mind.

_What the hell does he see in her? Sure, she's pretty. And she seems smart. But what about _me_? I am WAY better than her…_

I couldn't bear to listen to her malicious thoughts any longer. I tried to listen to what the new girl thought of her.

Emphasis on _tried_.

There was nothing but silence. I couldn't hear even one thought.

My eyes widened in shock. There has never been even _one_ instance in my existence where I had _not _been able to hear someone's thoughts. Ever.

Instantly, my eyes narrowed in concentration. But the more I opened up my mind to the "voices" around me in a desperate attempt to hear _her_ thoughts, the louder and more difficult it got to focus in on anything. I huffed, frustrated.

Alice giggled.

"You saw this?" I gasped.

_Of course I did. What kind of psychic would I be if I didn't?_

"Alice!" I felt a growl coming, but Jasper turned to me in warning and sent me a wave of calm.

_Chill out, Edward. And explain to the rest of us what in the world you're talking about._

"Alice _saw_ that I wouldn't be able to read her mind, and she didn't tell me!" I glared at her, conscious of the astounded thoughts of my family.

_WHAT? How is that even POSSIBLE? I do NOT want to repeat high school again if we move!_

_Is that even possible? Now we can't know if she suspects us… it's a danger… we should tell Carlisle._

_WOW. Eddie's mind is even _more_ messed up than usual. Is it different? You know, _not_ hearing voices in your head for once?_

_She's going to glance our way now! I wonder what she'll think… no pressure, Edward._

"Shh, she's looking this way now, everyone be-" Alice was pulled into a vision but turned to look at Jasper just as the girl, Bella, glanced our way, casually observing us. She looked over each and every one of us, her gaze lasting longer on me. Jessica noticed.

"Those are the Cullens," she whispered. We could still hear her easily as if she was shouting.

"Hmm," was the only thing that Bella said in reply.

"She's rather amused right now, with a hint of annoyance," Jasper added. That explained it. And the rest of the conversation was interrupted by the thoughts of my family.

"The short, cute girl is Alice." _She thinks I'm cute! _Alice had obviously come out of her vision by now. _Don't worry, Mike Newton and Eric Yorkie just decided to dance on the table in about a minute._

"The tall, blonde, gorgeous one is Rosalie." _Jealous much? Of course I'm beautiful; especially compared to _you_._

"The one boy who looks like he's in pain is Jasper." _Is it _that_ obvious?_

"The really big one is Emmett-" _Really big? What a joke- I'm HUGE!_

"And the, umm, incredibly handsome one is Edward." _Eddie boy is, and I quote, "umm, incredibly handsome"! Sucker! Pity she didn't say you were beautiful…_ I growled softly to shut Emmett up. He just shook his head and grinned.

"They were all adopted by Carlisle Cullen, a doctor, and Esme Cullen. And the weird part is, they're all, like, together. Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. Edward's the only one that's single."_ Single! Eddie, why are you still single? Marry me? Ha! _Emmett was seconds away from bursting with laughter.

"Don't waste your time though, because apparently, none of us are good enough for him." With that, my entire family was laughing their heads off. In their thoughts, of course. I was waiting for Bella's response. It was difficult being unable to hear her thoughts, yet, I felt… drawn to her somehow.

"Don't worry. I don't plan on it," she said, leaning back on her chair. Everyone then turned, opting to laugh at Mike and Eric, who had just begun dancing on a table. Idiots.

Two things happened then.

First, Alice was pulled into a vision. I couldn't see anything in her mind; it was too fast and blurry.

If we weren't vampires, we would have missed what she said next. She obviously didn't intend for anyone to hear her say it. And yet, it was what she said next that both confused and concerned us the most.

"I've got enough worry and pain in my life already."

Everyone's thoughts were a mess, including my own.

_What could have happened to her? Granted, her emotions do seem rather… unstable, even when she seems perfectly calm on the outside. Maybe she's the one that keeps having those panic attacks every once in a while! I wonder what provoked them…_

_That's odd. I hope nothing _too_ bad happened to her… she doesn't seem like a bad girl, even if she _is_ a threat to our existence._

_She looks so helpless! And so tiny! Who in their right mind would hurt _her_?_

My own thoughts were no better. _Who _could_ hurt her? She's so innocent… _I surprised myself by feeling the need to protect her. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper raise an eyebrow at me.

_What's with the emotions, bro?_

I just shook my head slightly, indicating that we would talk about it later. I looked at Bella again just as she looked my way; our eyes met. She hurriedly snapped her gaze away and got her stuff, getting ready to leave.

Alice picked up her tray and threw it out, walking to her next class. The rest of us followed.

* * *

**August 15, 2012: Forks High School, Biology II**

* * *

Biology. The same boring things about living things. Alice, though, told me that it would be different today. _Again_.

_She was right_, I thought as the door opened. In entered none other than Bella.

Mr. Banner noticed her and smiled. "Isabella Swan. Come in, come in."

I was the only one who noticed what happened next. Probably because it all happened in the span of approximately half a second.

Bella took a small step back, unnoticeable by ordinary humans. Her eyes widened infinitesimally and seemed to glaze over, similar to how Alice's glaze over when she's having a vision. At the last possible moment, she stifled a gasp before it became apparent to the class that something was wrong. Instead, she smiled, not acknowledging anything that had just occurred.

I stared down at the table and frowned, confused. What I would give to read her mind right now.

Mr. Banner took the slip of paper from her fingers and pointed to the seat next to me; the only open seat left in the classroom. "Have a seat next to Mr. Cullen."

Bella turned my way and, her eyes landing on the seat, began walking toward me. I mentally ran through a list of what I could say to her.

Then I stopped. And it was _not_ because I had found the perfect thing to say to her.

Her scent. It hit me. Her scent finally hit me.

Mouthwatering. Delectable. Luscious.

The monster within me had never come across such a scent before.

Palatable. Appetizing. Appealing.

Never in all of my years had I smelt blood like this, blood that sang to the monster, blood that called to it.

Alluring. Tempting. Inviting.

This girl, this… this… _human_ would be my undoing. She was my personal demon from the darkest pits of hell. I had to taste her. I had to suck her dry. _Now_.

Enthralling. Enchanting. Enticing.

NO!

I could not let the monster win; I could not let Carlisle down. I could not bear to see the sorrow in Esme's eyes. I could not stand to hear the disappointment in my siblings' minds. I couldn't let the monster win. I couldn't. I wouldn't.

She finally reached her seat. She warily sat down, peeking at my eyes and noting my obvious discomfort. _Good_, I thought. _You should be afraid. Now leave. Go back to wherever the hell you came from. Let me exist in peace._

In my peripheral vision, I saw her turn her head and hesitantly sniff her hair. _It's not the smell coming from _you_, it's the smell coming from your blood! Not you! Your blood!_

I prepared to spend the rest of class frozen in my seat, alternating between contemplating how I should kill her and scolding myself for having those thoughts.

She was obviously irritated at me and the sudden hate I showed toward her. And then she giggled. She _giggled_.

And then she _sighed_!

I was now positive that either _she_ was insane, giggling for no apparent reason, or _I_ was going crazy, hearing things that weren't real.

The countdown to the end of class was almost over.

_Three, two, one…_

The bell rang as I fluidly stood up and, gathering my belongings, walked out of the classroom as fast as possible while still looking human.

The last thing I saw before exiting the classroom was the flash of hurt on her face. It came and went too quickly for a normal human to catch, but I did. And for some reason, I hurt as well.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight!**

* * *

**Did I do okay in Edward's POV? And do you think I should do a chapter about Edward's confrontation with his family next? I have an idea for it… or should I just keep going on in Bella's POV? I won't include the boring stuff he does while he's away for a week, but I want to include the conversation he has with his family and Alice's visions about Bella's future.**

**Review and let me know what you think so that I can make it better. Even if you're a guest user. Please? And if you see any mistakes, please point them out so that I can fix them. Thank you to Tanya(guest) for reviewing and telling me that I had made a mistake the first time; I had said that there were three boys and three girls (instead of two) when I described the Cullens. Again, thank you so much!**

**Also, I'd like to thank everyone who has stayed with this story so far, constantly encouraging me through reviews and PMs. I love you guys!**

**See ya soon!**

**-Sonia**


	5. I Have a Conversation in Biology

**Chapter 4: I Have a Conversation in Biology**

**August 20, 2012: Woods near Chief Swan's residence, approximately 2:30 A.M.**

* * *

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving"

-Albert Einstein

* * *

He wasn't there for the rest of the week. At all. Not one glimpse of him anywhere around Forks. (I would know; MI6 had security cameras all around Forks _and_ Seattle. _Literally_.) I, however, tried to keep that thought out of mind as I leapt over another fallen tree trunk.

I had to keep training to keep my fitness level high; I couldn't let myself fall out of shape, or else there could be… complications. As in a situation where someone else will have to either a.) stay back with me because I can't keep up or b.) stop to protect me just because I can't fight for myself. Neither situation was favorable; therefore, I had been running through the woods (suggestion by Gemma) as if my life depended on it for the past hour and a half (snuck out of the window at 1:00). Granted, I was pretty fast due to my years with… _them_… and then my years with MI6, but running through unknown territory and then expecting yourself to find your way back in perfect condition was hard. (I found that out the hard way the first time.)

I almost ran into a tree when my phone rang in my pocket. I silently cursed the fact that boots were the basically the only footwear that you could actually put your phone in. I stopped for breath and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Bella! Thank god you answered. Guess what?" I recognized Gemma's sing-song voice; this wasn't a serious call.

"I'm not in the _mood_ to 'guess what'!" I snapped. Running irritates the hell out of me.

"Oooo… someone's touchy. Okay, so seriously, I have a-MAZ-ing news. It involves me, Tara, Rylee, Austin, and Jace. And Genevieve and Derek. Oh, _and_ it involves a plane. From London to Forks. Can you guess now, or are you mentally disabled?"

It took me a second to process the clues, and another second to fight off the shock and excitement so that I could speak clearly.

"You… all of you… you're all coming… here? …To Forks? Legit?" I was close to jumping up and down.

"YES!" I could just imagine the squeal coming from across the Atlantic. If anyone had been in a ten-foot radius of her, they would've gone deaf.

"When? When, when, _when_?"

"Well… we're landing tomorrow. Or actually, today, at 6 P.M. I think. It's a commercial flight, so I can never be exact."

"Oh my god. I can't pick you up; I _may_ have… I don't know… destroyed my 'future car'."

I heard Gemma burst into laughter on the other end. I mentally counted to two before getting impatient.

"You done yet? 'Cause I, for one, have to actually go to _school_."

"Okay, okay, chill, Bella. We'll be able to get there ourselves. We're all under the pretense of being adopted; Genevieve is 20 but is going to pretend to be 23, and her "husband" is going to be Derek. He's 22, but he could pass as 25 or 26, right?"

I mentally snickered as I imagined Genevieve and Derek being their "mom" and "dad". It would be a miracle if they didn't wreck the car on their way "home".

"I think it would be better to say he's 26, don't you? I mean, who would adopt that many teenagers at such a young age…" I trailed off when I thought about the Cullens.

"You're right, as always," Gemma said, ignoring my unfinished sentence. "And I might have forgotten to mention something." She mumbled the last part.

"What is it?" I asked warily. What trouble could she have gotten into already?

"Austin and me and Rylee and Tara had a bet on who could eat the most hot dogs and Austin won obviously but I'm so sorry I just couldn't even touch the last one I felt like I was about to throw up any second and Tara and Rylee had already given up and then I just couldn't do it so I'm just like 'I give up!' and then Austin won and now he's going to put us all through… basketball." She said everything so quickly; I could barely comprehend it fast enough to keep up. However, she whispered the last word slowly, at conversing speed. That was all I needed to hear.

"NO!" I half-groaned half-screamed in horror.

"Sadly, yes. Bye!" She hung up before I could start ranting at her.

I put my phone away and started walking back home. Austin and basketball should never be together; everyone else will die. He was a basketball demon! And he expected the rest of us to be able to do the same. If he wasn't involved with MI6, I swear, he could (_and would_) be a professional. High school, I could survive. Kidnappings, I could survive. Physical combat with or without weapons, I could survive. But basketball? No way in hell.

* * *

**August 20, 2012: Forks High School**

* * *

Edward had moved. That could be the only explanation he _still_ isn't here. I've already seen his siblings around the school throughout the day; everyone but him. Had I _really_ run him out of town that fast? It had to be a new record. And wait, I hadn't physically hurt, touched, or even _threatened_ him! Another record! I had a small smile on my face as I walked into the biology room. I consciously froze the smile onto my face as my eyes instinctively scanned my surroundings.

My table wasn't empty.

He was back.

Looking around to make sure no one saw my hesitation at the door, I walked into the classroom. After reaching what was supposed to be solely _my _table, I irritably dragged the chair out and sat down. I then proceeded to wait for the bell to ring so that I could start (and finish) the damn class. (I still didn't get it; why exactly do I _need_ to go to high school? I could do just as breaking into someone's house while they're in vacation! If only it wasn't illegal…)

_He _cleared his throat next to me, obviously signaling that he was about to speak. If I wouldn't have gotten into trouble, I could have had a sarcastic comeback at the end of every sentence he said.

"Hello. I forgot to introduce myself last week. (You were too busy hating me.)

"My name is Edward Cullen. (Who in this school- no, this _town_- doesn'tknow that?)

"You must be Bella Swan?" (Of course I'm- wait. What?)

I turned my head and immediately realized it was the biggest mistake I could have made. He was staring at me, his eyes a beautiful gold that would melt your- wait.

Gold?

That one observation was enough to snap me back to reality. That one observation _also _made me remember my _first_ observation. (If _anyone _from MI6 was here when I lost my thought process, they would have fired me on the spot. _Or_ have sent me back to training.)

"What did you call me?" I asked in disbelief. I don't remember correcting him on my name; and trust me, I would definitely remember if I had corrected _him_ on my name. His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Do you prefer Isabella?" No, you dolt, I wanted to say. Why did you call me Bella? But I didn't say that. (I wished.)

"No, I meant why did you call me Bella? I've never even talked to you. How do _you_ know that I prefer Bella?"

Now he stiffened up, like he was caught cheating on a test.

"Word travels fast in this town," was all he said before looking away. (Well yeah, how could it _not_ travel fast in a town the size of a… I got nothing.) Then, being as slow as I was today, I remembered my _second _observation.

"Did you get contacts?"

That obviously shocked him out of his day-dreaming; he turned to me as if to ask, "Are you for real?", and then smiled to himself, amused. What was so amusing?

"No, I didn't, actually."

"Oh. I thought there was something different about your eyes." I looked away.

I, Isabella Marie Swan, MI6 agent, thief, and professional killer, had absolutely no clue what hell was happening. I was officially lost. And clueless. Did I mention hopelessly lost?

Edward wasn't lying; just the opposite. He was telling me the truth as if it should have been obvious. But I _distinctly_ remember how on the first day of school, they were a dark gold. Then in biology that _same day_ they were a dark, almost frightening black. And now, they were a sweet, honey-like gold that just… getting off topic again.

In my peripheral vision, I saw that Edward was still frozen. Like a statue. A statue of a Greek god… I needed to focus.

And that was when Mr. Banner announced that we needed to pair up for a lab. Perfect.

I unwillingly turned to face Edward. My eyes widened when I realized he already had the microscope and slides set up. I never even saw him move, I thought. Or maybe I was just going crazy?

"Ladies first?" he asked politely. It took everything in me not to laugh at his tone; he was acting like he was in the 1900s instead of the 21st century. Instead, I just nodded and took the microscope from him.

"Prophase," I stated, barely looking at the slide. I had these memorized by the time I was 14; almost seven months after MI6 rescued me from _them_.

"Do you mind if I…" he looked like he was ready to prove me wrong. I smirked.

"Sure," I said, pushing the microscope towards him. As he reached out to take it, our fingers brushed together. I felt a spark.

"Sorry." He quickly pulled his hand back while I sat there like an invalid staring at my fingers. Something was seriously wrong with me today if I feel sparks by touching a stranger's hands. Then again, since he apologized, he must have felt it too. Static electricity? I didn't think so.

"Prophase," he agreed, briefly glancing at the slide. I told you so, I wanted to say. Then I would have stuck my tongue out at him. Instead, my smirk turned into a smug grin.

Ignoring me, he switched the slide and looked at the new one.

"Anaphase." Now it was my turn to annoy him.

"Do you mind if I…" I grinned as I trailed off.

He obviously found this amusing.

"Of course not," he said with a smile, pushing the microscope back towards me. Taking a glimpse at the slide, I sighed. It was anaphase. Noticing my reaction, his smile widened.

"Next slide?" I snapped, irritated that I couldn't for once prove him wrong. I swear, just one time, let him be wrong, so that I could wipe that smile off his face, and I would never ask again…

Then again, he looked even hotter when he was smiling. He had a crooked grin that was just so… I _really_ needed to improve my focus.

Edward handed me the next slide shaking with silent laughter. I struggled to not join him.

"Metaphase," I said smugly, barely glancing at it. In junior year, I knew those were the tree main things they tested students on in biology (among other pointless stuff).

He shook his head, smiling as he wrote down the last answer. I noticed that he had really nice handwriting. _Really_, really nice handwriting. It looked like calligraphy. Legit.

Looking around the room, I realized that most of the class was still struggling with the answers; we were the first ones done. Mr. Banner happened to notice this and came to check our answers.

"Edward, you should have let Isabella try to figure some out," He said, disappointed.

"Actually, Mr. Banner, she identified two out of the three."

Mr. Banner looked surprised.

"Were you in advanced placement in Oxford?"

You have no idea.

"Yes," was all I replied.

"So you've done this lab before?"

I've cracked CIA and MI6 codes before for _fun_ because I was _bored_. You're asking me about this _lab_? I practically memorized this four years ago!

"Yes."

He took our paper and walked away, muttering something about others finally getting to learn. I obviously wasn't supposed to hear that; no normal human would. But over the course of my… life, if you could call it that, sensitive hearing has become an essential part of my life.

_CREAK. CREEEAAAK._

"_Isabella! What are you doing sleeping at this hour?"_

"_I couldn't stay awake! I'm sorry, it'll never happen again!"_

"_You learned on your first day here, Isabella, mistakes are not without punishments…"_

"_Please, please don't. She did __**nothing**__! It was __**me **__that fell asleep! __**NO!**__"_

I had to listen to my surroundings. It was a means of survival.

"Are you okay?"

Edward's voice snapped me out of my nightmare. Or day-mare. Whatever.

Looking at him, I realized he looked worried. My imagination really _does_ run off sometimes. Here was a stranger that I had _just_ met, and he was already concerned about my well- being. No, no, that couldn't happen. First of all, this was America. Second of all…this was_ high school_! Third of all…that's all I got.

"I'm fine. Just… zoned out…" I didn't really know what to say. No person that wasn't trained ever really catches me having… flashbacks. Edward wasn't a spy; I could tell at least _that_ much. But he was… different. I might sound like a lunatic, but there was something about him.

He gave me an I-can-tell-you're-lying kind of look; he obviously didn't believe me. Regardless, I wasn't about to tell him the truth. Ever.

I passed the rest of the time staring at the clock while Edward stared at me.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I only own my own ideas and writing. (Except the few quotes I might have used from the movie or book that I added in during the biology lab scene.)**

**Hey guys :) I took down the previous author's note that used to be chapter five. Sorry about that though; I honestly was on a writers' block. Your reviews and PMs helped me though. A lot. :) **

**And finally… Bella's "family" is coming to Forks! That will, of course, be the next chapter. I'm also going to try and make a "cast" for my story and post the links on my profile, but I need help. Where can I post pictures online? I don't have a Facebook or Tumblr or anything, but is there any other way? Review or PM me if you can help :) **

**Review! They're like, treats. Mini Christmas presents. Even if you're a guest, just say something. Especially about mistakes I make.**

**Thanks to all of you who helped me through that… stupid problem. I would love to especially thank Horses- are- my- life for **_**really**_** helping me out by giving me some ideas and inspiration and encouraging me to keep writing :) as well as chips- n- gravy (Sabine) for the **_**really **_**awesome advice in her review that completely convinced me to keep continuing this story on here :) also thank you to Yatogirl for her review that told me it's okay to make mistakes and to take it slow :) Thank you all SO MUCH!**

**-Sonia**


	6. Airports, Sleepovers, and Phone Calls

**Chapter 5: Airports, Sleepovers, and Phone Calls**

**August 20, 2012: Seattle- Tacoma International Airport, 6:00 P.M.**

* * *

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

- Oscar Wilde

* * *

Waiting at the airport is a tedious job. I don't know how all of those chauffeurs and escorts do it all the time, but I'm pretty sure I would rather have… well, done pretty much anything but this.

I don't know _how _I even managed to get the cab driver to drop me off at the airport. Even before that, I don't know _why_ Angela Weber even bothered helping me. She agreed to tell Charlie that I was coming over to her house for a "slumber party"; in reality, I would be spending the night with what I had come to call my "real" family. I mean seriously, I hadn't lived with my foster family since I was nine. And then that five months when I was 15. That was it. But my friends- Gemma especially- have become family to me.

So now I was waiting for them at the airport while Charlie thinks I'm an ordinary girl sleeping over at Angela's and Angela thinks that I'm just an ordinary girl picking up ordinary friends from the airport.

That was when someone slammed into me from behind. With the force of a tsunami. Literally.

I found Gemma.

I sat up on the ground and turned around to see Gemma kneeling on the floor beside me with a grin as wide as mine.

"Gemma!" My scream was muffled in her shoulder as she hugged the living daylights out of me.

"BELLA! I missed you so, so, so much! You really have to stop worrying though, 'cause you _know _that we would never let anything happen to you. Oh my god, just imagine what we can do together to make for all the time we missed…"

"Well, don't we feel welcome."

I stood up and looked beyond Gemma to see Rylee and Tara right behind her. Behind them was Genevieve. Jace, Austin, and Derek were carrying the luggage. It was a _lot_ of luggage.

"Oh my god. Rylee. Tara. You're here!" I smiled manically as I ran towards them and tackled them to the ground. When we finally got up, I turned around and gave Genevieve a hug.

"Thanks for coming. I needed you guys."

Genevieve just hugged me back, saying something along the lines of, "We'll always be here for you."

"Hey! How about a bit _less_ screaming and hugging and maybe a bit _more_ helping us with the bags?"

I would recognize that annoyed yet teasing tone anywhere.

"JACE!"

Jace chuckled as I ran into him; he didn't even take a step back from the impact.

"Ouch," I muttered. He laughed.

Before I could even back up to say how good it was to finally see him, someone cough-Austin-cough yanked me away from Jace and started spinning me around in a circle. When he set me down, he turned me around and ruffled my hair.

"Hey there, squirt. No hi for Austin?"

"Austin!" I said as I hugged him with everything in me. "I would say I'm thrilled to see you, but I _did _promise I would never lie to you."

"Ouch. That hurt." He sounded disappointed but was grinning; I was forgiven.

"Hey kiddo. How's life without Derek? Pretty miserable, huh?" That was Derek. He was the most comical out of the eight of us, always getting his self into trouble. But Derek's fun to hang with; he's more concerned for the safety of others than himself.

"How about we continue our reunion at the house? People are staring." Genevieve had already taken her role as the parental figure. And she was right; people _were _staring. Who wouldn't, though? Eight people who looked like they were a.) not even adults or b.) just barely adults making a scene at the airport weren't exactly inconspicuous.

And so we exited the airport as fast as we could, _before_ someone could call security.

* * *

**August 20, 2012: The "Fischer" Family Residence**

* * *

"I still cannot believe you actually _stole_ these cars!" I was laughing as I got out of the passenger side.

"Actually, I think I he said, and I quote, 'I'm just borrowing these cars without permission. Permanently.'." Jace was laughing with me as he got out of the driver's side. Austin just stayed in the car, staring at the back of the driver's seat. He was still mad, I guess, that Jace won at rock-paper-scissors, thereby getting to drive. Austin hadn't wanted to drive the other car either, so he was stuck in the back with Rylee while Gemma drove the other car with Tara, Genevieve, and Derek.

I choose _not_ to be in a car with Gemma driving unless it's as a final resort; she didn't exactly… _obey_… the rules of the road. For example, take speed limit. For us, it's there to tell us what the limit is to how fast we can go in different areas. For her, it was just a sign sticking out of the ground with numbers on it. Meaningless. A distraction. So now you can understand why she got to the house 10 minutes faster than us (although Jace wasn't a slow driver, either).

"Whoa…" I muttered as I finally got a good look at the house. I knew it wouldn't be small, but I never knew it would be this… _big_!

It had a gorgeous and imposing structure, with graceful arches and long, marble pillars. The main entrance was impressive with lovely double doors, and the front was covered with windows. It was simply breathtaking.

"I know, right?" Jace said as he came to stand next to me.

"Oh my god, is that a basketball court?" Austin shouted as he raced past us into the backyard. I groaned and Jace rolled his eyes.

"Genevieve!" I shouted as I stepped into the house. "How could you?" I couldn't believe she actually had a basketball set up in the back; we were going to die!

"I had to; he won the bet, remember?" She chuckled from somewhere in the kitchen. I followed her voice and the delicious scent.

"Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Now go get my _dear_ _husband_, will you? He's just _so_ lazy sometimes…" Her mouth twisted into a grimace as she called Derek her husband. It was no secret the she and Derek didn't get along too well.

"I am _not_ lazy, _sweetheart_. I just happened to have a different schedule for waking up." Derek said as he leisurely walked into the kitchen. Genevieve glared at him as he came in.

"Then why don't _you_ cook dinner, _dearest_? No, never mind. We'll just end up not having _anything_ to eat at all…"

"I cook just fine, _my darling_. Now give me that oven mitt!"

I rolled my eyes at their arguing; it never got old.

"Oof. Gemma-"

"I have your own room ready!"

"What?" I gasped. "What do you mean, 'my own room'?"

"I _mean_ that you are going to be sleeping at this house for the majority of your time in Forks. This is the most secure place in the U.S. right now. You know, other than the Pentagon, the White House, the-"

"I get it-"

"National Treasury, the-"

"Gemma, I get-"

"National Mint, the-"

"Gemma!"

"Okay, chill. So basically, it's the most secure location in… Washington. There, that's more or less accurate."

I sighed- she hadn't changed one bit.

"Way to make her feel safe, Gem. You really have to work on that bluntness of yours."

I turned around to face Tara. She was the most… pessimistic of all of us. She had a smirk on her face that widened into a grin as she glanced at me.

"Long time no see, Bell," she said. "Maybe now we can all die together. Slowly."

I stiffened at her tone; it wasn't… normal. It was hard and had an edge to it.

"Stop scaring her Tara… you _know_ we're not going to die." It seemed like Gemma had expected this type of behavior from Tara.

"I'm not trying to scare her. I'm just telling her the facts of what's going to happen to all of us."

"We are _not_ going to die!"

"How do you know? They are stopping at nothing, I repeat, _nothing_ to get their hands on her. And we are obviously never going to let _that _happened. So what the hell are they going to do with us? We're in the way of their prize. Oh, wait, I know! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US!"

"Katarina Raquel Rixeva," Gemma said forcefully. "You take that back."

"Gemma Danette Marketta," Tara retorted mockingly. "I was raised to _never _take back the truth."

"You know, you don't _have _to be here right now," I cut in, hurt. This wasn't Tara; she wasn't this… rude.

Her eyes widened and her face visibly softened at my hurt tone. She looked like she regretted everything she had just said.

"No, Bells, I didn't mean… I'm so sorry." She ran up the stairs.

I turned to Gemma for an explanation. Her eyes were calculating my possible reactions.

"She didn't mean it, Bella. She's just worried… it was _her_ plan, you know. To come here in the first place to watch over you and provide any necessary back up. We might all be the same age, Bell, but she sees you like a little sister."

I nodded. _That_ seemed more like the Tara I knew. Pessimistic. Arrogant. And yet, overprotective.

I was still staring off into space when Gemma's mischievous grin registered. I sighed, knowing that whatever her idea was, it would be _disastrous_. Impossibly fun, yes, but still disastrous.

"You know what? Let's go to the kitchen and see how the _happily married couple_ is doing."

I groaned. Derek and Genevieve working together? They just _barely _manage that when our lives are at stake! Hesitantly, giggling all the way, we tip-toed to the kitchen.

We heard the shouting before we even reached the kitchen.

"Of course, _my dear_, I suppose I _do_ completely forgive you for ruining our dinner."

"You are mistaken, _my darling_, for I have not ruined our dinner; it was your carelessness in letting me operate the stove that caused me to… well, make it explode."

"DEREK FISCHER! YOU _KNOW _THAT I NEVER WANTED YOU TO HELP ME COOK!"

"GENEVIEVE KADEN! YOU _KNOW_ THAT THERE IS _NO REASON_ _IN HELL _FOR YOU TO BE YELLING AT ME LIKE THIS!"

"WATCH YOUR FRICKIN LANGUAGE, _HONEY_!"

"WHY DON'T YOU WATCH _YOURS_, _SWEETIE_?"

"HOW ABOUT… everyone frickin _shuts up_?" Gemma interrupted.

Derek and Genevieve both whipped around. It was a surprise their eyes didn't pop out of their heads.

"Oh. Bella. Gemma. You were… right there… are you guys hungry?"

Only the fact that Gemma was digging her nails into my arm kept me from laughing.

"No no we…" A glare from Gemma told me I was doing it wrong. "I mean yes! We are _starving_!"

Knowing I had exaggerated to the point where it became apparent that I was lying, I collapsed to the floor laughing. Gemma followed me.

I heard a chuckle from Derek and a sigh from Genevieve when the phone rang.

All noise ceased immediately while we stared at each other, wide-eyed.

First Austin and Jace, then Tara and Rylee silently stepped into the room, as bewildered as the rest of us. Spy rule #1: Undercover MI6 agents are… _undercover_. No personal information is given out. Ever.

Including phone numbers.

"No one knows the phone number. Not even _headquarters_!" Genevieve whisper-yelled to the rest of us.

The phone kept ringing.

No one was planning on answering the phone; that much was evident. They were obviously trying to pass it off as a wrong number, a mistake in dialing.

I made sure no one was looking at me. Then I took a breath, stood up, and ran to the phone.

No one reacted fast enough to stop me, or even _think_ about stopping me. I reached the phone just as it was going into voice mail.

"Hello?" I gasped into the receiver. I heard a chuckle on the other end.

"Well, excited, aren't we, Isabella?"

I would recognize that voice anywhere.

"No." It couldn't be _them_, right? I mean, I _just _got here. They couldn't have found me already.

"Yes!" the annoyingly manipulating voice continued, "My dear Isabella, it was rather unfortunate that we lost you. Our business, you see, has gone down tremendously."

I waited patiently. If this was who I thought he was, it would be no use interrupting him. He would get what he wanted in the end. Regardless of the cost.

"So we were thinking. You were a valuable asset to us. So valuable, in fact, that we _still_ have the Z-chip imbedded in you."

I paled and tried to hold in a gasp. I was unsuccessful.

"Impossible. It stops functioning when you exit the gates." Right?

"Ah, but you must look at it from our perspective. We _knew _you were important; too important. It wouldn't have been long before others coveted you. However, we quite simply could _not_ let you go; that was illogical. But we _could _make so you were ineffective while with anyone else. Can't you see where I'm going with this?"

My eyes widened as I realized what he meant. If they knew that other organizations would have wanted me had MI6 not intervened, they would have made it so the others gained nothing. The only way to do that was… the Z-chip. But it only worked until you reached the gates; after that, you were free. But to make sure I was useless to anyone else, they would have had to increase the range of its effects. Drastically. But they had never…

"_What… what are you doing to me?"_

"_We are merely going to… __**improve **__something."_

"_I don't need anything improved. I haven't done anything!"_

"_No Isabella. This is for your own- and our own-… __**safety**__."_

They had.

"You… you… _monsters_!" I gasped into the phone, unable to believe what I had just discovered. I barely even noticed that everyone was listening to every single word with some of the other receivers.

"Now now, Isabella," I heard growls from the other side of the room when he said my name. "You _know_ that we have no intention of actually _using_ the chip. It is only leverage for us, to help you make the _correct _choice. Decide: MI6 or… _us_."

"I will never, as long as I live, willingly choose _you_," I spit out.

"Unfortunate. And to think you were wiser than to choose wrong. We _will_ get you back Isabella," he said, dropping any formal pretenses, "If we can't have you, _no one_ can!"

He hung up.

I turned around, still holding the phone, to look at everyone's faces. I processed quite a few things in the one second before the shouting started.

Derek looked at me in disbelief, worry, and anger.

Genevieve looked at me in a mix of fear, concern, and annoyance.

Austin looked at me like he was ready to pummel me for answering the phone.

Jace looked at me like he was battling between being furious and being anxious.

Rylee looked at me like she was afraid something bad was going to happen soon.

Tara looked at me like she was debating whether or not to slap me.

And Gemma came up to me, fuming, and actually _slapped_ me.

I winced at the sting.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking? Oh, that's right, you _weren't _thinking, were you? Use that frickin brain of yours, Bella! What. The. HELL?" Gemma screamed at me before Tara pulled her back and Rylee gathered me into a hug.

"It's all right, Bella. Nothing will happen to any of us, _especially_ not you," she whispered into my ear.

"Someone just explain what the bloody hell just happened?" Austin was rubbing his forehead.

"Maybe you _should _explain what just happened, Bella. Who was that guy? It sounded like you... knew him. Come to think of it... it sounded like... like even _I_ knew him." Derek was thoughtful as he struggled to calm down Genevieve, who by the looks of it, had gone into shock.

"And what the hell did he want with you?" Jace was trying to control his temper, clenching and unclenching his fists.

That was when it struck me. I had never really told anyone the details of my past.

Don't get me wrong, they knew what happened. But only the very _basic_ things. They knew I had been kidnapped by _them_, although they didn't know _why_. They knew I had been forced to kill, but they didn't exactly know_ who_. They knew that I was in constant danger of dying- yet, they didn't know _how_.

They didn't know about what I had _really_ been through before MI6 rescued me. About my life as a thief. And a killer.

And knowing would make them top targets.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, not me.**

* * *

**Late update, I know. Explore Test, math finals, homework, and life in general has me away from my laptop. So did writers' block; it got to the point where I was struggling to simple figure out who should speak next. :( But this **_**is**_** the longest chapter yet; 13 pages on Word.**

**Sometimes, I wonder what the heck I would do without some of you guys. More specifically, chips-n-gravy (Sabine). I LOVE YOU GIRL! You are seriously DA BEST! I have no idea where I would be without you! :)**

**Anyway, I love you all, but I am hurt. Reviews are what give me inspiration. You guys **_**all **_**have a different way of seeing and saying things; tell me what you think about each chapter. Please? I'll give you two updates a week during the two weeks off for Christmas. (I'll try my level best. :D)**

**-Sonia**

**P.S. This chapter, although published on December 19, 2012, has been updated on December 26, 2012. This was so it would make more sense about where this is going. A guest had reviewed that telling Bella's friends about her past would put them in danger. I do appreciate the review very much. THANK YOU! Seriously. Cuz originally, I had it planned that they didn't know the exact details (like the facts that Bella _had_, in fact, killed people under orders before, and that her friends only knew about the part that she had been a thief). However, that would completely clash with the fact that they work for a _spy/government agency_. (That's like, so freaking cool! :D) Spy agencies... they would know stuff like that. E****ven a****bout histories of criminals. So it got me thinking... and that's how I got a story line for a new story _as well_ as a perfect... plot (for now) for this story. Thank you for reviewing, stranger. :) **


	7. Nightmare

**Chapter 6: Nightmare**

**August 21, 2012: Swan Residence**

* * *

"Pain is life―the sharper, the more evidence of life."

―Charles Lamb

* * *

"Bella?"

That snapped me out of my mental planning.

"Were you listening to anything I just said?"

_Even though I was actually thinking about what I would do if the school building just happened to explode in a carefully planned attack meant to kidnap me, yes, as a matter of fact, I heard everything you said. Although… in my case, I don't think you have to worry about the "potential dangers" of me sleeping over in a house with teenage boys. _

I was almost positive Charlie would flip out if I actually said any of that. So, being a smart person, I didn't. "Sorry, I was just… daydreaming, I guess. Not enough sleep."

It was… a _half_ lie. There's no such thing as "not enough sleep" for me; I can function as long as I get at least three hours of sleep. And that was all I got yesterday after finally convincing everyone (after they heard the whole phone conversation) that the phone call wasn't important and it was just a… warning. From _them_. And that it wasn't worth reporting. But I _was_ in fact daydreaming―just… not about the same stuff an ordinary teenage girl daydreams about.

Charlie turned his attention back to his newspaper, muttering something about teenagers and… wait, did coffee even _have_ anything to do with this?

"As I was saying, I've decided that maybe it isn't such a good idea to spend the night at a friend's house on weekdays anymore. You looked like a half awake zombie when you got back home this morning." He glanced at me from behind the newspaper. "And you never really told me how you knew these 'friends' of yours."

I sighed. Thank god I took that course on surviving interrogations, even though it was taught by Tara and Austin. _And_ it wasn't even a real course.

"They're friends from England, dad," I said, exasperated with his constant questioning. "Hey, I have to get ready for school. Bye!"

"Stop right there," Charlie said suddenly just as I reached the door. "How do you think you're even going to _get_ to school? You don't have a car." He looked away for a second before standing up and facing me. "I'll drop you off."

I fought the instant panic that swelled up in my chest. Going to school… in a _police cruiser_? No way. No. Frickin. Way.

"I'm getting a ride," I said quickly before he could see my hesitation. "… Some friends are going to be driving me to school." _For their entire stay here_, I thought. I didn't mention that though.

A loud honk from outside added credibility to my statement. Letting out a sigh of relief, I opened the front door. "I'm leaving!" I shouted into the house before closing the door and breaking into a run toward the car. I froze when I was five feet away.

"You're driving _this_ to school?" I hissed as I took a few steps closer to the… the car. They couldn't possibly be serious…

"Those were the same words I said to Austin before we started. Being Austin, he didn't listen. And… neither did Gemma, I guess." I followed Jace's gaze and looked at the car that pulled up behind Austin's McLaren.

And I was pretty sure my eyes popped out of my head.

"Hey! Come ride with me!" Gemma screamed from inside her Porsche Carrera GT. I shot an apologetic glance toward Jace, who responded with a quiet laugh.

I let out a breath as I got into the passenger side of Gemma's… car. "Way to be inconspicuous, Gem. No one will ever notice us while we're driving a car worth about half a million dollars. We _completely_ blend in." I said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Quit it! You're sounding just like Tara. And she has the nerve to drive the Vanquish." Gemma whined. I almost had a heart attack as I looked into the side mirror. Tara and Rylee were behind us, driving an… an… _Aston Martin_!

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the window. _It's going to be okay, Bella. The best thing that could happen right now is we get to school perfectly fine without drawing any attention towards ourselves. But since that's not possible, the worst thing that could possibly happen right now is we get pulled over by a cop (hopefully not Charlie) and get warned to stay out of trouble. _Or_ we could be pulling into the parking lot when the building decides to explode. _Or_ I'm going to spontaneously combust with annoyance._

* * *

**August 21, 2012: Forks High School, Parking Lot**

* * *

Silence. That was all I heard when the first of our cars became visible to the student body of Forks High School.

And then gasps as all of us got out. Granted, I wasn't a remarkable sight to see, but the rest of us… yeah.

Gemma was beautiful. Easily. With her naturally straight, cocoa brown hair and big, brown eyes sparkling with excitement, she was a fitting image for the definition of fun and mischief. Unless, of course, she was about to break your arm with a casual flick of her wrist. _That_, my friend, is a fitting image for _frightening_.

Tara was the most striking. With her long, wavy, dark chocolate colored hair and doe-like brown eyes that threaten you to speak to her, she was drop dead gorgeous yet was surrounded by an intimidating aura that made you afraid to even approach her. Yeah, and when she glares at you, she's capable of making you freeze with mortal terror. Forgot to mention that minor detail.

Rylee was elegant, with her long, platinum blonde hair and crystal blue eyes that reflect incredible wisdom. To the outsider, she appeared harmless, calm, and shy. To us (and other agents) she screamed, "you-dare-to-cross-me-I-will-devise-a-plan-so-horrific-you-will-wish-you-were-never-even-born".

Austin, being pretty toned by years of combat training and, you guessed it, _basketball_, was incredibly attractive with his clear blue eyes and windswept light brown hair. He perfectly fit into the part of "over-protective older brother", though, with his personality.

And Jace. I saw him as an older brother, and he saw me as a little sister (even if it _does_ annoy the living daylights out of me whenever he overreacts about the smallest things, along with Austin). But he was hot. Like, super frickin hot. I'll never actually tell him that, though. And obviously, the entire female population of Forks saw him as hot as well because they were all staring at him with lustful eyes. And hey, I would be surprised if they _weren't _staring at him. With dark brown hair that came a little past his ears and dark, chocolate eyes that looked deep into your eyes, he made any girl's heart melt.

And me, well, I was just me. Plain. With wavy mahogany hair that came halfway down my back and brown eyes, I looked like any other person. (Although, now that I've been in Forks a while, I've discovered that I was _way_ more attractive than most of the people here― _most_ of them.)

Before I knew it we were at the office door. I realized that Jace had been dragging me along by the hand. "Sorry about that. I… zoned out…" He silenced me with a smile and a small shake of his head.

"It's not your fault. We didn't exactly let you sleep all too much last night. And it's a good think you weren't paying attention; no one apparently told the people here that staring is rude." I giggled as we arrived at the front desk. We were standing there, waiting for Mrs. Cope when Rylee turned to me.

"Wait, Bella. Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be on your way to class by now?" Now everyone was looking at me confused, waiting for an answer.

"If you're expecting me to survive going in there all alone after I've been seen with all of you, you're dreaming, Rylee." Everyone started laughing.

"One day, Bells," Austin said in between gasps, "You're going to be alone without us, and―" He cut himself off, frowning. "Never mind, we're never letting you off anywhere alone, so that comment was unnecessary."

"Shut up," I muttered just as Mrs. Cope arrived at the front desk. She looked over each one of us in turn before turning to me.

"Do you know all of these new students?"

"Uh, yes, actually. They're my friends from Oxford―" I paused when I saw she had no idea what I meant. "I used to go to school in England before this. And these," I said, gesturing to my family, "are the friends I made there. They said they also wanted to experience studying in the U.S., so…" I trailed off when Mrs. Cope started to nod slowly, understanding the "situation".

"Very well, then. Oh, look at that," she said suddenly, reading through the papers. "Turns out you all have the _exact same schedule_! Isn't that exciting?"

I groaned softly. This was Gemma's doing, no doubt.

I heard snickers from everyone around me, along with a "good job, Gem" from Austin. I glared at him.

"Shut up and take your schedules," I muttered, walking toward the door.

* * *

**August 21, 2012: Forks High School, Cafeteria**

* * *

"It was not, by any means, necessary to embarrass the teacher like that, Tara. She was only doing her job, even if it _does_ irritate the hell out of you."

"Well, you know, I don't exactly plan on standing in front of everyone introducing myself and explaining what my likes and dislikes are, 'cause here's what it would sound like: Hi everyone –cue fake smile–, my name is Katarina Rixeva –sorry, Fischer– but if you call me that, I will cheerfully make sure that's the last thing you say. While we're on the topic of how I will end your life, some of the things I _love_ doing are killing people I don't like, practicing my combat skills, checking over my weapon collection, and testing my weapon collection. On live targets." Tara snarled the last part.

"But you didn't have to say all of that stuff about her. I know you've all spent a lot of time checking the background of every single teacher, but you didn't have to point out her doomed love life, did you?"

"On the contrary, I actually _did_ have to."

I sighed. Tara would always be Tara, even if she wasn't the nicest person in the world. My eyes scanned the cafeteria for a good table that the six of could sit at. My eyes widened slightly as I realized the only one was… next to… the Cullens. I heard Rylee gasp and Gemma giggle as they realized the same thing.

"Let's just get this over with."

The entire cafeteria was staring at us as we made our way to the empty table next to the Cullens. That may or may not be an exaggeration, but that sure was what it felt like. As I glanced over their table, trying not to meet their eyes, I noticed something… off. About all of them.

It was like the first day of school all over again, but it wasn't _just_ Edward this time that was staring at _just_ me in frustration. Every single one of the Cullens was staring at every single one of us as we took a seat at the empty table. Their expressions were those of somebody who had seen something impossible happen once and now was seeing the same thing again, even if the odds were against it. Wonder what could have caused that…

It was a good thing that we had already done our "background checks" on the entire population of Washington; it would have been really hard to explain the Cullens while sitting at the table right next to them. So instead, we ended up speaking in Greek.

"Λοιπόν, τι νομίζεις γι 'αυτούς;" Tara whispered, trying her best not to look back over her shoulder to glance at them. She and Austin were the only two with their backs really to the Cullens, even though it was a circular table.

"Δεν ξέρω, αλλά φαίνεται διαφορετική. Δεν είναι φυσιολογικό." Jace said with a small frown. Now I was confused. I had the same feeling, but I'd been here for a week already. This was the first time he's seen them. (I also noticed that the Cullens seemed surprised. Like, beyond surprised. Were they listening to us? 'Cause anyone who overhears someone else speaking in Greek is very likely to be shocked like that. And… they didn't seem to be breathing either. What the heck?)

"Μην παρεξηγήσετε. Έχω το ίδιο συναίσθημα. Αλλά αυτό που σας έκανε να σκεφτείτε ότι;" I asked him. The rest of us nodded as Jace tried to put his feeling into words. And the Cullens– except Edward (he was still too busy concentrating on something)– seemed to be even more shocked after I spoke. I had no doubts now– they could hear us. But how?

" Ένστικτο." Jace finally responded after a long pause. An uncomfortable silence ensued after his chilling reply.

"Πρέπει να κάνουμε κάτι γι 'αυτό; Θα μπορούσε να είναι ένας πιθανός κίνδυνος για την Bella..." Rylee said, unsure but trying to ease the tension. I noticed that, behind Tara and Austin, the Cullens were… Was it possible? They seemed… even more tense than we were! That was when what Rylee had just said really sunk into me.

"Σκάσε." I muttered, turning my head away. I heard everyone chuckle lightly. I turned back, glaring at them. "Χαίρομαι που με βρίσκουν διασκεδαστικό." I shook my head in disbelief although I was secretly relieved that the uneasiness was gone at last. I could feel the stares coming from the Cullens; I was biting my lip, struggling not to look at them.

Oh! Just perfect. I even had Biology with Edward next. I sighed, trying to make my way to Biology with my friends _before_ we ended up being late.

_**(Conversation Translation: **_

_**Tara― So what do you think about them?**_

_**Jace― I don't know, but they seem different. They're not normal.**_

_**Bella― Don't misunderstand. I have the same feeling. But what made ****you**** think that?**_

_**Jace― Instinct.**_

_**Rylee― Should we do anything about it? They could be a potential danger to Bella…**_

_**Bella― Shut up. *break* I'm glad you find me amusing. *sarcasm intended*)**_

_**Note: I used Google Translate for the translations, so I don't know if they're right… XD**_

* * *

**August 21, 2012: Forks High School, Biology II**

* * *

I knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant lesson, when, the second we stepped into the classroom, Edward's eyes flashed up to meet mine.

"Kill me now," I muttered to Gemma. She just laughed it off, whispering me good luck.

"You'll survive," she said, smiling. The nerve of her! She didn't understand…

_"You can't expect me to do that; I'll kill myself!"_

_ "You don't know for sure― you've never tried, have you, Isabella? And you've done worse before."_

_ "But this is jumping off a bridge. The __**Golden Gate **__Bridge.__** WITH NO GEAR OR PROTECTION!**__"_

_ "You'll survive."_

I had to get out of here.

That was when Mr. Banner decided it was the perfect time to clear his throat. "All right, class. Take your seats. It's time to get this lesson started."

I groaned internally, heading to my seat.

Gemma's words had twisted their way into my mind and found the gate. The mental gate to my past and to everything else my subconscious mind kept hidden from me, knowing I wasn't ready to handle it even after all these years.

Her words were trying to open the gate; I was trying to close it.

It was an internal battle against my own mind– one that I was losing.

The gate unlocked and the memories flooded back, full force.

_I was sitting on the railing, my feet dangling in open air. The very sky that had been shining with light just a few hours ago was now dark and stormy. The water churned ominously below me as the rain battered my already bruised body. The wind blew my wet hair around me and bit sharply at my skin. And yet, it was fear I was trembling with as I turned to face him._

"_I can't," I whispered, absolutely terrified. Only 2% of people survive jumping off the Golden Gate; the odds weren't exactly in my favor. _

_He clucked in disappointment. "Isabella, I would have thought you to be more… daring. Brave. That is why we chose you. You showed potential. And yet, a task as simple as this… you will not do it. I only ask you of one thing― to jump. One word."_

"_But I'll die!" I dry-sobbed, too paralyzed to actually produce tears. I couldn't die at 13; I just couldn't! _

"_We asked you where you would like to complete your next task. You chose California. We thought this would be a perfect place to practice jumping. In emergencies where you are attempting to evade capture and your only refuge is a bridge, we both know you cannot __**hide**__ on it. You must **jump **off of it. And you must **live**."_

_I couldn't respond, knowing that with all the anxiety I felt pressing down on my chest and crushing my lungs, I would start crying. So I didn't, opting instead to continue staring down into the ever-shifting waters of the San Francisco Bay. I closed my eyes, trying to forget everything. Ignoring all the weather and the noise, I pictured that I was sitting in the grass at a picnic, similar to the ones I used to go on before my parents were killed. Before I was taken out of my own room. Before my life turned meaningless._

"_Bella! Get over here quick! Before your father finishes off the last ice cream!" My mom shouted, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. My dad had two straws sticking out of his nose and was about to take his first bite out of the last ice cream bar._

_I screamed with delight as I jumped into his arms, knocking the straws out of his nose. He wrapped his arms around me in a hug, laughing with me. I felt my mom joining us, putting her arms around me and my dad and giving me a tender kiss on my forehead. For a second, I actually felt myself smiling in real life, despite my current position. _

_Until I heard the unmistakable click of a gun. I turned around to see a familiar blonde-haired girl with bright blue eyes. Her tear-stained face had a long, fresh running down one cheek, and she was whimpering my name._

"_Ally!" I screamed, leaping down from the ledge. I skidded to a stop as he pointed the gun to the young girl's head. I was close enough to see the tears streaming down her face in heartbreaking clarity._

"_D-d-don't do anything to her," I stuttered, trying to ignore the dread building inside me. He wouldn't do anything to her, would he? She was only 6 years old._

_He smiled, still at ease. "Allison Drew Rixeva. Such a young girl. It's rather saddening, actually. She has quite a long life ahead of her, don't you think?" I gasped as the horror of the situation gripped me. He was giving me a choice… too jump –surely dying in the process– or to stay and watch Ally die instead._

"Hey, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." I heard a guy's voice, the tone teasing, from the distance.

_My eyes were still fixed on Ally's shivering form. One of us had to die. This was the end. He grinned as he read my expression; he knew what conclusion I had come to. And he knew that I knew it was the right one._

_I took an unsteady step toward the railing, my eyes still on the two of them. Ally let out a small, choked up scream as she realized what I was doing. Her eyes were wide with alarm. _

"Bella? Bella?" I heard a guy's voice again, but closer this time. It was the same guy. My eyes struggled to focus but, eventually, I was able to make out Edward's worried face. "Bella? Are you feeling okay? You turned deathly pale for a second and you weren't answering me…" He trailed off as I put my head down on the desk. "You need to see the nurse."

"No," I protested weakly, turning so I could see him. I couldn't move; I'd get sick. "I'm fi–"

I groaned and stopped moving as the world started spinning and a consistent throbbing began at the base of my skull. Everything became too bright, even when I had my eyes closed.

Then without warning, a piercing pain exploded in the back of my neck and traveled through my entire body like lightening. I heard incessant screaming fill the air as the pain increased exponentially. Time lost all meaning as I only registered the pain.

Maybe I blacked out. I couldn't tell which vision was reality and which one was my imagination. But I only remember two things: the pain. And Ally.

_It hurts… __**stop**__ it. It hurts!_

"Bella!"

_There's only one choice. I have to jump._

"Mr. Banner! What do we _do_? _She's not waking up!_"

_Make it__** STOP. MAKE **__THE__** PAIN STOP!**_

"Get water!"

_No more! __**NO MORE! I GIVE UP!**_

"Bella? Bella, Bella, Bella, please come back. Look at me. Please!"

_I ignored Ally's cries and pleas for me to stop. For me to come back. I couldn't. It was too late._

"Someone, call 911! Now!"

The world gradually started to fade into one melancholy color: black. Pitch black.

"Yes, yes, in here! Quickly! We're losing her!"

Sounds all blended together as one: the sirens, the shouts, the screams… were those _my_ screams?...

"_**No!**__" I heard her shrill, high-pitched shriek. "Don't! Bella! __**Bel–**__"_

_..._

_..._

_..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**Yes, I _am_ going to leave it off there. Did any of you notice something about Ally? More specifically, her name? Review if you know! (Hint: if you don't know or don't remember, read the previous chapter.)**

**Long time no update, huh? Sorry about that; I just completely forgot with all of the parties and Christmas and New Year's… I'll stop with the excuses. The main reason I updated today was because I finally checked my email and *BOOM*apparently I got a review. ―Cue me panicking and going, "Ahh! I haven't updated for two weeks! Noooo!"―**

**I threw some Greek in because I just needed to make it obvious to the Cullens and all of you guys (if you didn't already know) that Bella and the rest of the "Fischers" weren't normal. And yes, I changed their last name because I made a new friend (new kid at school) and her name just happened to be Hayden. It made writing this kinda awkward, so… yeah. Lol :D**

**Review! They're like, the **_**only**_** things that remind me to update! XD**

**―Sonia**


	8. Hospital Discussions

**Chapter 7: Hospital Discussions**

**August 21, 2012: Forks Hospital**

* * *

"She's got the eyes of innocence, the face of an angel, a personality of a dreamer, and a smile that hides more pain than you can imagine."

―Unknown

* * *

**EPOV**

Two hours and counting. That's how long Bella has been unconscious.

30 minutes. That's how long Chief Swan stayed at the hospital before heading home to call Bella's mother.

Two hours and counting. That's how long the Fischers have been in the waiting room; it was almost as if they had no reason to be in Forks if it wasn't for Bella―even Mr. and Mrs. Fischer were here.

After finally convincing Rosalie that everything would be fine, Alice had dragged the rest of us―meaning me, Jasper, and Esme―to the hospital. As soon as we entered the waiting room, Jasper and I took to standing as far away from the Fischers as possible while still remaining respectful while Esme and Alice decided to go talk to them. Listening to their conversation… it raised my suspicions about them.

"Hello," Esme said, smiling warmly as she and Alice sat across from Mr. and Mrs. Fischer.

"Hello," Mrs. Fischer replied, apparently at ease. She stuck her hand out for a handshake, surprising Esme and me (not Alice). People generally kept their distance, their instincts warning them away from us despite our beauty. However, Esme showed none of her surprise as she grasped Mrs. Fischer's hand and gave it a slight shake as if it was the most natural thing in the world―a human and vampire shaking hands. "I'm Genevieve Fischer. This is my husband, Derek. And you are…?"

_That's weird, _thought Jasper. _Why did she feel annoyed when she introduced her husband? And her husband, Derek… he's currently trying not to laugh._

"Esme Cullen, and this is my daughter, Alice. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," said Genevieve. She tilted her head as she glanced at Alice, then me and Jasper. "Your children are all in high school?"

"Yes; they're actually adopted―"

"What a coincidence!" One of the brunettes spoke up. She was the younger one; the one who appeared to be the most immature―almost like Alice. "We're all adopted too!" She said, gesturing to herself and her apparent siblings. The other brunette groaned softly, obviously hating the attention.

".اسكت، جيما" The brunette said, exasperated. She said it so quickly and quietly, though, that none of us―not even Esme, the closest―should've been able to hear or understand her. Their talking speed, although it was far from that of a vampire's, was the fastest I had ever heard a human speak.

"এটা একটি বিজোড় বিট না? তারা খুব, গৃহীত কিন্তু তারা একে অপরের অনুরূপ হয়." The first one whispered back. Once again, she spoke in a tone too soft and too fast for human ears.

_Since you were about to ask, the first one said, "Shut up, Gemma." In Arabic. The second one replied, "Is it not a bit odd? They too are adopted, but they resemble each other." This time in Bengali. I only know Bengali because I decided to learn it tonight, and that's the translation I saw. Those are languages that people don't usually speak unless it's as their first language. And to answer your question, no, I can't see how many languages they know; the decision to speak is spur of the moment…_ Alice's answers did nothing to comfort me.

"Gemma! It's rude to interrupt!" Genevieve chastised her daughter, like any other parent.

"Oh no, it's completely alright." Esme smiled and turned to Gemma. "What's your name?"

I could _hear_ Jasper and myself rolling our eyes. Sometimes, Esme acting like a human could be comical. I mean, Genevieve _just_ said her daughter's name out loud!

"I'm Gemma. This is Tara," she said, pointing to the scowling brunette. "This is Austin." The blue-eyed boy grinned. "This is Rylee," she motioned toward the quiet blonde who gave us a small, courteous smile. "And this is Jace." The dark-haired boy waved at us, trying to give an honest smile. Any human would've bought the act, but vampires could tell―these kids didn't trust us.

That was when Carlisle stepped out of Bella's hospital room. The Fischers stood up at the same exact time, almost like they'd been… trained?

"Isabella is perfectly fine; she faces no danger." I thought I heard Tara chuckle as Carlisle said that. "She passed out due to shock and stress―similar to an emotional overload. Has she been through any traumatic event recently?"

The Fischers' silence was confirmation enough.

"I would recommend therapy, but I wouldn't force anything. You can see her now if you would like, but please don't stress her out. She could lose consciousness again." Carlisle stepped away from the door as the children rushed in. The parents just took out their cell phones and started furiously texting and browsing the internet, although I couldn't be sure. They slowly made their way out the door, Derek in the lead.

_That's odd. They didn't even spare a glance at their children. What kind of parent does that?_ Esme's thoughts were alarmed, her maternal instincts kicking in. And she was right; what kind of parents would leave their children alone at a hospital, regardless of the fact that they could drive. (And for the love of God, their cars! What parents would buy their teenage kids a _Vanquish_? _We_ were centuries old, so that's a different story...)

"Bella?" I heard Gemma's voice, uncertain.

"What is it? Are you afraid of _me_?" I heard a voice respond, heavily laced with a British accent. Wait, British?

"That's Bella's voice, Edward." All of us―Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, and I―turned to face Alice in disbelief as I continued listening to the conversation.

"Bella, never do that again. Please." My eyes widened further as Austin's British accent reached my ears. Did they all have accents? Alice nodded in response to my unspoken question.

"How can _I_ control when I pass out?"

"Not my problem. But just… never do that again. "

"You scared all of us." Jace cut in, once again with a perfect British accent. If I closed my eyes and imagined I was in London, their voices would be enough to convince me that I actually _was _in London. If, you know, I was a human and could actually pretend like that.

"Like, a lot." Gemma added. After hearing her speak perfect American English a few moments ago, it was unnerving to hear her with a British accent. Esme actually gave a slight gasp.

"How are we going to cover it up?" Bella wondered out loud. "It's not every day that an ambulance takes away an unconscious student on a stretcher―"

"I _told_ you, Bella! You should've taken the therapy the first time the doctor told you―"

"I am _not_ going to _therapy_, Tara. Ever."

"But―"

"No."

I heard Tara's tired sigh as she sat on the edge of the bed. Tara's accent was stronger than the rest of them, but as a result, her American accent wasn't as perfect as the rest of their's, either. Although even the most highly trained humans would never be able to detect it, she struggled with maintaining an American accent throughout the school day.

"Bella… I get it. But you… if you're not going to go to therapy, then you should at least… I don't know, tell _us_ what's bothering you. We all took courses in that―you know that better than anyone else!"

"I know, but I just―" Bella sighed, seemingly unsure of what to say.

"You can tell us, you know. No one can hear." Rylee urged. Her accent wasn't as surprising, seeing as she barely spoke. I guess that finally convinced Bella, because she actually responded.

"Ally."

I guess that one word explained a lot to the Fischers.

A pang of pain and grief hit Tara (I know that thanks to Jasper's constant updates on their emotions) as she stepped out of the room. Completely ignoring the rest of us standing there, she ran right past us and out the door.

Rylee quickly ran after Tara, just as depressed. But her expression clearly said she was trying to stop _Tara_ from doing something stupid.

The rest of them just stayed in there, trying to comfort a now crying Bella; I had to crush the urge to go in there myself. Jasper gave me a weird look as a mischievous smile started to form on Alice's face. However, they were both blocking their thoughts―most likely an order from Alice herself.

"Those poor children. I wonder what that was about." Esme's concern was only natural.

"I don't know anything about this 'Ally' character, but there _is_ something odd about Isabella." Carlisle said, too low for any eavesdropping human to hear.

"Bella," I corrected absentmindedly. Carlisle gave me a funny look, just like Jasper, while Alice let out a small giggle. I decided to ask her about that later.

"Alright then. _Bella_," Carlisle said, looking pointedly at me, "actually has symptoms of PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder." All of us were perfectly still as Carlisle continued speaking. "PTSD is a disorder that some people develop after going through or witnessing an event that caused feelings of intense fear, horror, or helplessness. Kind of like a… near-death experience. Bella has had flashbacks, and those undoubtedly lead to bad dreams on at least some nights. The question is, what would lead her to develop this disorder?"

"Isn't that kind of like a… soldier's disorder? As in it usually affects those in the military?" Jasper asked. He knew what Carlisle was talking about, thanks to his past.

"Well, yes. It commonly affects those in combat and other military services, but normal people can acquire it as well if they see something horrific."

That was when the lady at the help desk chose to page Carlisle down; I could see in her mind that she didn't need any help with the computer at all, though. She just wanted to have a chance to talk to Carlisle. From his expression, Carlisle knew it too, as did Esme (who was actually contemplating going down with him). But regardless, he had to go and pretend like he knew nothing of the lady's incentives.

And on that happy note, he ended the conversation.

_We're going to be seeing her again soon, Edward. And don't worry―nothing is going to happen to her in the few hours you're not with her. _Alice paused as she realized she was on the wrong track.

_Don't worry; if it makes you feel any better, I'll actually _Google_ the translations, okay? Yes, even from lunch. Loosen up, will you? The Fischers are good people―even you can see that they're no harm to Bella whatsoever. They act more like her family than even Charlie. And even though all of their futures―even the parents'―is fuzzy, none of them are in any immediate danger. Now move it!_

Although Alice's mental speech did make me relax (as did Jasper's dose of calm), I couldn't help but rewind the day's events in my head. The Fischers may be harmless to Bella, but something was off about them, whether it was the way they interacted with society, the way the spoke, or the way they reacted to certain events. They were… different. And nothing Alice said would calm that nagging feeling that there was more to the Fischers than meets the eye.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**Sorry about the super short and late update. I'm out of excuses, but the next one should come by pretty quickly if I have the time; I already have the idea.**

**Anyway, I love you all but please review. So many people are favoriting this story and me (as an author) and that's awesome but could you guys also review? Just one sentence to let me know how I'm doing? It would mean more to me than you can ever imagine since I'd know what you think of this. And thanks so much for reading!**

**-Sonia :) **


	9. Shooting Practice

**Chapter 8: Shooting Practice**

**August 21, 2012: Woods near Cullen Residence, 7:00 P.M.**

* * *

"You bleed just to know you're alive."

-Unknown

* * *

I bit back a gasp of pain as I my left leg gave out and I collapsed onto the ground. Slowly rolling up the bottom of my pants, I examined the bullet wound.

"You got me," I whispered. "Again."

"Crap, again? We're coming!" Gemma's voice rang out in my ear. "See, Bella. I _told_ you that you weren't ready to practice yet. You are _so_ out of touch with field work–"

"Which is why I need more practice, Gem," I replied. "We've been over this already." I let out a sharp cry of pain when I accidentally shifted my leg. "Hurry up." It was all I could do not to scream.

Careful not to move my leg again, I inspected the damage. In reality, it wasn't that bad. The bullet didn't get in too deep since I'd layered my clothing. And there wasn't _that_ much blood either; I've had worse. I just couldn't understand why it hurt this much. Sure, it had been quite a while since I'd last suffered from a shooting, but it couldn't have been so long ago that I'd forgotten how it felt to get shot. Right?

"We're here," I heard Gemma panting as she approached me. The crunching of leaves signified the rest of their arrivals.

"You guys _ran_ all the way here?" I asked, disbelieving, as Jace strode towards me. He shook his head in disappointment as he sat down beside me, looking over the injury. Rylee sat on my other side with a First-Aid kit in hand.

"Yeah… Bells, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to actually aim for you but–"

"Gemma, don't you understand? This is why she needs to practice and get better at this! It's been almost five years since she's been through any _actual_ training!" Rylee cut in.

"So it's not your fault if you accidentally shot me; if anything, it's my fault for not being attentive enough." I finished.

"If this was for real, you do realize that they would've killed you by now, right?" Tara finally snapped, being blunt and straight to the point. Before anyone could argue with her and get her even more irritated, I spoke up.

"It's true, guys. You all know that." Their silence proved my point. "Told you," I said, a smirk forming on my face.

"This is no joking matter, Bella. This is for real. You could _die_ if you keep this up!" Tara vented, taking note of my amused expression. Deep down, I knew she was right. There was a small voice in the back of my mind saying that I shouldn't be taking this lightly. But there are always those times when you _know _you shouldn't laugh because you _know_ that the situation isn't funny and you _know _that laughing would only get you into more trouble– yet, you still laugh anyway. Well, this was one of those times. Five pairs of incredulous eyes stared at me as I burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"It's official. She's insane," I heard Tara mutter before she turned away, her arms crossed as she leaned against a nearby tree.

"Bella, are you positive that you didn't hit your head?" Rylee questioned as she finished wrapping up my leg. I just nodded, trying to calm myself down enough to speak comprehensibly. I caught a smile on her face as she turned away, busily packing up the First-Aid kit. My laughter ceased almost immediately as I watched her clean up. This was the third time I'd actually gotten hit with a bullet today; the other two times it had only grazed me. Unable to keep thinking about my terrible shooting statistics, I stood up, grabbing a nearby tree for support.

_At this rate, you'll never survive a day on your own, Bella._

_ Shut up_, I told myself. But then again… this was just practice. My body and mind subconsciously knew that I was in no immediate danger. Maybe, just maybe, I would do better in a real, life-and-death situation… right?

"What are you thinking?" Jace asked me, interrupting my thoughts.

"N-Nothing," I replied quickly. If they knew the plan that was forming in my mind, they would keep me under permanent house arrest. They wouldn't even let me go to _school_.

A normal person would've believed me when I said "nothing"; they would've passed off my stuttering and lack of concentration as a side effect of getting shot. But these were people that I practically grew up with. They knew better.

Jace groaned and put his head in his hands, knowing I was planning to do something reckless. Gemma just sighed. "Bella, whatever you're planning to do, don't do it. You don't have to 'prove yourself' or anything, okay? You'll just be putting yourself in even _more_ danger."

The rest of them quickly caught on to what was happening. Austin marched up to me and firmly grasped my shoulders, forcing me to look straight at him.

"Okay, Bella. You and I both know that usually I'm all up for doing stupid stuff. In fact, just the other day, I–"

"Not helping, Austin," Tara interrupted coldly, staring him down. I stifled a giggle.

"Anyway, the point is that even though I'm not the most responsible, careful, cautious, dependable, watchful, or even –"

Rylee cleared her throat.

"So even though I'm normally _way_ ahead of you in doing stupid stuff, this time, _just this time_, please listen to us and not do anything dumb. Remember the Social Studies lesson over World War I where President Harding wanted to bring back 'stability, normalcy, and prosperity'?"

"But Austin, what does _that_ have to do with _this_?" He continued on with his speech, ignoring me.

"I want _you_ to be all those qualities. Except prosperity. I mean, you can't _be_ prosperity, that's like… getting off topic. But act _stable_; don't go running around trying to prove anything. Now, am _I _stable, you ask? That's up for debate. Also act _normal_. Again, am _I_ normal? I'm not answering that. So–"

Jace cut him off. "Austin, man, you _really_ have got to get to the–"

"All I'm trying to say is that this concerns your _life_. As in there are _no_ second chances. You can't afford any mistakes, Bells. So don't try anything stupid. Got it?" He let go of my shoulders and stepped back.

"That was… quite a speech, Austin." I muttered as I got up, using a tree to balance on my injured leg (Did I mention that I also got hit on my left shoulder and under the right side of my ribs?).

"We should probably get going. I know it's not late yet, but there's already a great chance that Charlie will see the bandages since there are so many," Rylee glanced at me as I looked at the ground sheepishly. "Besides, getting her home late will just increase his suspicion of us _and_ Bella."

"Rylee's right," Jace said, standing up. "I'll drop Bella off in the Audi; anyone else want to come?"

"I will, I will, I WILL!" Gemma all but screamed. Everyone laughed, seeing how she went from serious to carefree in half a second flat. Only Gemma could do that. Shaking our heads with amusement, we headed in the general direction of where we parked our cars.

* * *

**August 21, 2012: Woods near Cullen Residence, 7:15 P.M.**

* * *

"Yes Gemma, I would _love_ to keep listening to you talk about the advantages of a _blending in_ while we're driving a Vanquish and Carrera GT to school. And an Audi Q7 and a BMW X5 when we're not at school. Because we _really_ blend in, don't we?" Tara's voice dripped with sarcasm as she got into the passenger side of the BMW.

"I never said it applied to us," Gemma shot back, getting into the passenger side of the Audi. Rolling my eyes, I got into the back of the Audi while Jace got into the driver's seat. The rest of them went in the BMW with Austin driving.

"So… what exactly is the plan for tomorrow?" I asked hesitantly. In the rearview mirror, I could see Jace's eyes soften.

"Well, we'll just have to deal with it." He glanced back at me in the mirror. "It's not your fault, okay? You have to understand that. This isn't something that you could control."

"Jace is right. Don't beat yourself up about today. Instead, think of how you're going to hide your bandages tomorrow at school. You're covered in them!" Gemma added cheerfully.

I just stared out the window at the passing trees. What I would give to just have this all end. After I got out of the hospital, instead of going straight to Charlie's house I let Gemma drive me to _my_ house (meaning "the Fisher" house). There, with some new equipment imported from MI6, we discovered the _main_ reason for my blackout– the Z-chip. I remember having to explain it to everyone after Genevieve printed out the results…

_ "The results printed out," Genevieve said as she walked into the room, "But…" That one word made me freeze in panic. It seemed like everyone else was frozen as well, waiting for an explanation._

_ "But what?" Rylee asked the question one everyone's mind calmly, effectively controlling any emotions she was feeling._

_ "You see, there's this… thing that showed up in the X-rays."_

_ "What kind of _thing_ do you mean, exactly?" Even Rylee's calm façade was starting to slip. Her eyes were darting to me every few seconds._

_ "It's small, near the base of her neck. It's almost like a chip–"_

_ "The Z-chip," I whispered, mostly to myself. But the curious and alarmed stares made it clear that everyone had heard me. I cleared my throat, preparing to explain._

_ "So when I was with… _them_," I winced. "They have this… process… where they put a tracker in you–"_

_ "They _WHAT_?" Austin shouted, standing up, as did Derek. It was evident that both of them were _very_ close to losing their tempers. That would be a bad thing– Genevieve had _just_ gotten finished with painting the living room. _

_ "Let her talk, Austin," Jace said, looking pointedly at me. Although his tone was polite, it was forced. I could see him clenching his fists at his side again._

_ "It's so that we can't run away. It records our approximate location and it also… if you try to escape, that is… See, as soon as you reach the gates, it'll activate certain nerves in your brain that'll cause," I looked up at them to see their reaction. "Pain. Lots of it. And if you go too far, it'll release a toxin into your bloodstream, so you can never get out alive." _

_ Saying that they were shocked was an understatement. So was saying that they were outraged._

_ "Those frickin–" _

_ "Watch your language, Tara –_"

_ "I swear–"_

_ "Who the hell do they think they–"_

_ "They treat you like you're a _dog_–"_

_ "Someday–"_

_ "Shut UP!" I interrupted. Everyone looked at me and quickly regained their composure._

_ "Okay, so we'll just operate on you and surgically remove it so that–"_

_ "No, you don't understand," I snapped, rudely cutting Genevieve short. "You can't just operate on it; it's much more complicated."_

_ "Well then, why don't you _un_-complicate it?" Gemma asked, confused._

_ I sighed, staring at my hands. "My body… the muscles and nerves around the chip… they think it's _part_ of my body. So the chip… when the Z-chip detects anything invading it's 'personal space', it'll release the toxin as a precaution; to make sure that I'll never be able to live as though nothing ever happened. And no matter where I am, if they activate it like they did today, I'll… I'll end up passing out. Again. And they could do that anytime they want; during movies, school, whenever," I paused, seeing the horrified looks on everyone's faces. "I can control _nothing_ in my _own_ life," I whispered softly, closing my eyes._

_ "Oh my god…" Gemma finally said. The rest of them were still unmoving, staring into space._

_ "That means," Gemma continued, "That they can know our current location. They can track us down to Forks. _Right now_."_

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

* * *

**Yep… that's that. Next chapter will probably be up by the weekend; I'm halfway done with it. :)**

**So anyway, I don't know how many of you have read any of my other stories (which aren't **_**exactly**_** stories; they're more like one-shots/two-shots), but I wanted you guys to know that my newest one-shot, Breaking Point, has been posted… But here's the thing. Do you guys want me to continue it and give it an Edward POV and maybe a different ending? Or do you want me to leave it at that? It's your choice; I wrote it because I had writer's block for this chapter. **

**Speaking about writer's block, I have to thank DemiGoddess2012 for her AWESOME PM that **_**totally**_** inspired me for the next chapter and eliminated my writer's block. (Which is why I'm already halfway-ish done with chapter 9.) She is amazing– seriously. **

**And guys, please review. Even suggest ideas or cast members or… just review to say hi. And I will reply (if you're signed in). It just tells me that you guys are actually reading this story, you get me? So… yeah. And in case you didn't know, I **_**do**_** have two other stories out: Remembrance and Breaking Point. :)**

**Anyway, thanks for putting up with me and my slow updates! :P**

**-Sonia :)**


	10. Lockdown

**Chapter 9: Lockdown**

**August 22, 2012: Forks High School, Biology II**

* * *

"The world is a dangerous place; not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."

―Albert Einstein

* * *

Honestly, I don't think I have ever been more thankful for human ignorance. Charlie hadn't noticed the bandages wrapped around my shoulder, leg, or middle last night. Although he had been a bit doubtful that I had stayed that late at the "Fischers'" house just to do homework, he didn't interrogate me. Not that he would've gotten anything out of me anyway; he may be a police officer, but I was a spy―an undercover MI6 agent.

Even today, the student body of Forks High School was ignorant to my physical condition. And I planned to keep it that way.

Lost in thought, I hadn't realized the lesson had begun until Edward kicked me lightly under the table, making me snap back into reality just as Mr. Banner called on me to answer the next question.

"Miss Swan, according to their morphology, how are bacteria classified?"

"They can be classified into coccus, bacillus, vibrion or spirochete." I hid a smirk as Mr. Banner did a double take, stunned.

"Very good, Miss Swan," He said, turning around to write something on the board.

When I turned to Edward to say thanks, he was looking at me in surprise. "I can't believe you knew that."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, for one, you weren't even paying attention. Second, Mr. Banner asked that as a trick question; he knew you weren't paying attention. That information isn't even in this textbook, let alone this unit."

I mentally smacked myself. _Way to be stupid, Bella._

Out of my peripheral vision, I could see the rest of the "Fischers" trying not to laugh.

"…I was in advanced placement. In Oxford." I tried to cover up. He still looked unconvinced, but wouldn't have had the time to say anything else anyway―the secretary came on over the intercom.

And the news she broke made my heart skip a few beats.

"Students and teachers, we are under a lockdown. Teachers, please direct your students to the safest location possible immediately."

Just from her voice, I picked up two things instantly.

One: her voice was wavering and not as smooth as anyone's voice usually is during a lockdown drill, so this was real.

Two: her voice was hushed; barely above a whisper―the threat had already entered the building.

"Okay, everyone into this corner. Now." Mr. Banner looked pretty scared right now. I would've laughed if it wasn't so serious. If this is what I thought it was…

A few exchanged glances between me and the "Fischers" confirmed that this was exactly what I thought it was. My heart rate picked up. The last time they had gotten into my high school, the students had to be evacuated, the building had exploded, and some lives had been lost. I couldn't let that happen here; I had nowhere else to go… except MI6 headquarters.

Mr. Banner hastily ushered us into a corner of the room that was apparently the "safest". I exchanged a grim look with Gemma as she caught my eye.

Glancing around the room, I realized a big mistake Mr. Banner had made. I guess they didn't have too many lockdown drills here, because he had completely forgotten to lock the door. Snapping my head back to Gemma, I purposefully caught everyone's eyes and looked pointedly toward the door. A smile started to form on Tara's face as it dawned on her what I was suggesting. Then I glanced back toward the class. They were a mess; some of the girls –cough-Jessica-cough– were already in tears. They wouldn't notice six missing students anytime soon, would they?

Casually making our way to the door, we slipped out of the room, unnoticed. Or so I thought. A fleeting glimpse back into the classroom revealed a few things, some of which were not desriable.

One: Mr. Banner was still trying to calm down some of the students. His back was still to the door.

Two: the students were whispering to one another, eyes wide with the situation we were in. They were oblivious to us.

Three: Edward Cullen was staring straight at me, his eyes wide with panic and alarm.

My heart racing, I stepped outside. He had seen us. He had seen _me_.

I pushed all thoughts of how to excuse stepping out of a classroom during a _real_ lockdown aside as I faced everyone.

"We need to stop them. _Now_." The urgency in my tone was evident. Everyone nodded in assent.

"Split up?" Jace suggested.

"It's our only option," I pointed out.

Although they were wary, it _was_ our only option. We could cover more ground, and it would be easier to evade _them_. They knew that better than most, being spies.

"One sec," Gemma stopped us, taking something out of her pockets and tossing it to each of us. "We'll need these."

I smiled as my hands closed around a comms unit. I don't know where we would be without Gemma.

Looking at each other one last time, we went our separate ways. I let my training take over.

I listened to any hint of breathing; from experience, I knew that _they_ were too smart to make any other sounds. (Having learned how to tail people from them, I remembered how I used to scare everyone at headquarters when I first arrived there; I would sneak up soundlessly behind them and grab them by the shoulders, shouting 'BOO!')

I became conscious of the noise I was making―my footsteps, my breathing. Regardless of how childish I felt, I stopped at the janitor's closet and took off my boots. _You'll never get a chance to run around the hallways with a gun in only your socks ever again_, I justified.

"You're _sure _this is the school?"

I stopped breathing.

"It's gotta be. Otherwise the three of us are dead."

I quickly walked to end of the hallway, where we would have to take a left turn. I peeked out from behind the wall. There were two men, checking their phones. My mind subconsciously started mapping out all possible exits from where I was standing now (including windows)―these guys were _huge_!

"If we fail this we're dead?"

"Well, we're kinda new. And inexperienced. He doesn't like inexperienced; he likes professional. Like her, I guess."

I closed my eyes tightly as I fought off memories. They were talking about _me_.

"Isabella? The girl we're supposed to find here?"

"Bella?" Jace's voice came through the comms unit. _Shoot_. "Stay where you are. We're coming." I had forgotten that the comms units were long range; they could hear almost everything I hear. In this case, they were going to be able to hear the whole conversation.

"Yeah, that chick. Apparently, she's a criminal mastermind. She can rob a bank and no one would know till the next time someone visited. She can _murder_ someone and leave no trace behind."

I was praying to every god I had ever read about that no one understood any of that over the comms units.

"…Wait. If she's a pro, then why are _we_, as amateurs, after _her_?"

"We're the trial run, stupid. If we can confirm she's here, they're sending more specialized agents in to actually get her. If she's not here, they're gonna send just a couple of specialized agents instead of newbies like us to double check and see if anyone has heard of her here."

"So we're attacking a high school just to _confirm_ that she's here. Not to actually get her?"

"…Something like that. You know, maybe if we actually capture her… we might get a reward!"

"Exactly what I was thinking!"

"Maybe we should start with shutting up; anyone could've heard our conversation."

"Got it."

I slowly exhaled as I realized that these guys were idiots. At least _this_ lockdown situation wouldn't result in a blown up school building.

I backed up against the wall, trying to back away from them in case they turned this way. That was when Jace spoke over the comms unit and, at the same time, a hand grabbed my shoulder.

"Don't attack."

Moving so as to face him, I gave Jace a look that said: _next chance I get, I am going to _smack_ you._

I'm pretty sure he understood.

Nodding toward the two men, he tilted his head to the side, as if asking: _what are they saying?_

I shook my head, not about to give anything away. Even if I'd only be able to hide this for another few minutes, I was going to make the most of it.

After a few seconds of staring at me, he finally gave me a look that said: _later_.

No matter how unlikely, I silently hoped he would forget.

Straining to hear any sound from the men, I took another peek around the wall and almost laughed. Although they looked menacing at first glance, they really _were_ idiots. They had their backs to us and were looking at the poster for the school play. It was hard to believe that these two men were sent by _them_.

Well… It was hard to believe that until they spun around, almost as if they had known we were here. And as instincts took over, I ran for my life, dragging Jace behind me. He didn't complain; after all, we were teenagers before we were spies. And… instincts were really hard to control, especially when you're surprised as well as scared to death.

We were halfway down the hallway when we heard the men behind us.

"Running will only make it worse!" One of them shouted. That just made us run faster until we turned the corner and ran right into Austin, Tara, and Rylee. Instead of stopping to talk, I jerked Tara off the ground while Jace yanked Austin and Rylee up.

It was just our luck when we took the next turn and faced a dead end. I cursed myself for not realizing we were running toward it sooner.

We turned around, getting into defensive stances.

The men came to a slow stop as they realized we had nowhere to go. Smiles… no, _smirks_ formed on their faces.

"Nowhere to run and hide, huh?" One of them sneered. He was the slightly bigger one.

We kept our silence. It sunk in that if we get caught, not only will this building get blown up, but I will be taken back _there_ and Jace, Tara, Rylee, Austin, and Gemma would be forcefully recruited.

Holy…_ Where was Gemma?_

I had no time to dwell on it, because at the next second, they charged at us.

I mentioned they were huge, yes?

Side-stepping quickly to avoid getting trampled, I manipulated our positions so that the man had no escape.

Unable to stop with the force he put into the charge, he rammed face-first into the wall. In that fraction of a second that he was disabled, one thought occurred to me.

These guys were trained by _them_. They know every fighting trick in that probably ever existed. And these guys have no code of honor; they fight dirty. MI6 training doesn't cover how to fight dirty. Even if spies could be cold-blooded assassins, there are still some moral boundaries that we can't cross. Like fighting someone defenseless with a weapon. Or anything involving children. Or blackmail.

It was only the four years with _them_ that saved me from what the man did next. Backing away from the wall, he immediately proceeded to do a double spin kick. Classically _them_.

I dropped low to the ground, ducking under his feet, and grabbed the one foot he still had on the ground. Yanking as hard as I could, I moved away as he crashed to the ground. He then went for my feet, but it was clear this man was an amateur; his eyes and body positioning gave away his intentions – he was going put me into a headlock. The men's conversation flashed into my mind.

"_You know, maybe if we capture her… we might actually get a reward!"_

There was no way I could deflect the attack; the guy was _way_ too big, easily twice the size of me.

Without the time to debate whether or not what I was doing was morally correct, I subconsciously threw out my left arm and jabbed at the base of his throat; at his jugular notch. If done right, this move would activate the gag reflex, causing the person to cough and sputter. If done wrong…

I watched as he crumpled to the ground.

Oops.

I sank to my knees and clutched his wrist. And all the color drained out of me.

There was no sound behind me―they had either tied the other man up or had knocked him out. We weren't trained to kill.

Correction: they weren't trained to kill.

_I_ was.

"Bella…" Rylee whispered behind me. She placed a hand on my shoulder. I shook it off and abruptly stood up.

"We need to hide. Pretend we weren't in the classroom when the lockdown was announced."

"Bella, are you―"

"Bathroom stalls, janitor closets, whatever," I continued, ignoring Jace.

"Bells―" I cut Austin off as something became clear.

"Crap."

"What? What's wrong?" Rylee asked, still not realizing that something was missing. That some_one_ was missing. No sooner had the words left her mouth, though, did her eyes widen as she understood the problem.

The two of us said it at the same time. "Gemma."

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

* * *

**Hey guys. I am so sorry for the long time no update! I had this chapter done a while ago but the internet wasn't… the best since I hadn't been at my house the past few days. And I was sick… missed a day of school. But whatever. :P**

**Like I said, I have no idea how DemiGoddes2012 inspired me for this chapter, but she did through her PMs and so I just **_**have**_** to thank her. THANK YOU! :)**

**Review!**

**-Sonia :D**


	11. I Make a Deadly Deal

**Chapter 10: I Make a Deadly Deal**

**August 22, 2012: Forks High School, Hallway**

* * *

"I keep silent even when I'm screaming inside because the things that drive me crazy, I have no choice but to hide."

–Unknown

* * *

Sometimes, I feel so stupid that I wonder how I ever became a spy in the first place. How could I have missed Gemma? I closed my eyes as I recounted the conversation the two men had when I first heard them.

_It's gotta be. Otherwise the three of us are dead._

_Otherwise the three of us are dead._

_The three of us._

_Three._

"The one man… he said the _three_ of us. There were _three _of them. We only fought off two. The third one–"

"Is right here," a chilling voice said into my ear.

My eyes snapped open and I scanned the immediate area around me.

"Hello?" I said, trying not to sound scared or intimidated in the slightest. I failed miserably.

"You won't be able to see me, dear. Neither will your friends." As I glanced at them, I noticed how they were also looking around, trying to find the source of the voice. "So you can stop trying to find me. You all look like flailing geese," The voice said again in my ear. _In my ear!_

"You hacked our comms units!" I said, shocked. Everyone was now listening closely, having already made that revelation before I had put it into words.

"Don't sound so surprised, dear. We've done better." I shuddered as I thought of what he meant by 'better'. "Now, I believe you're missing someone?"

"Where. Is. She?" Tara asked slowly. Threateningly. If the situation hadn't been so dire, I would've laughed.

"Are you trying to threaten _me_, Katarina?" Tara let out a loud gasp. "Yes, I do know you're name. And I'm pretty sure you know me as well. You may not know my name, but you _have_ seen me before." I could hear the cruel edge to his voice, even if it _was_ coming through an earpiece. I inhaled suddenly as the memory of his voice clicked.

"_You_," I all but snarled.

I heard laughter from the other end. "Yes, _me_, as you so affectionately put it. You remember Allison; am I correct, Katarina?"

Tara's face went cold as the haunting memories returned. "You… you sick, vile, _sadistic_–"

"Oh, Katarina. Please, do stop complimenting me. I'm blushing." He laughed quietly, humorlessly. "Anyway, I take it you _do_ remember Allison." He gave us no time to respond before continuing. "Especially you, Isabella. You were there, you know. It happened so long ago…"

"Shut UP!" I screamed. I didn't care that my friends were looking at me like I was crazy (Couldn't they hear the conversation? Or did he cut them off?). I didn't care that the police were probably on their way right now; he couldn't just bring up Ally like that. Like she was nothing but a distant memory, fuzzy from time. I backed away from my friends, trying to get a grip on myself.

"No need to raise our voices," he said, chuckling. "So now, back to the topic of your friend: Gemma." I was silent, waiting. "She's from London, correct? I'm willing to bet that she's never seen the Golden Gate before."

I froze. _No_.

"Six weeks, Isabella." His voice had hardened into its usual tone. "You have six weeks to get yourself together and save your pathetic friend's life." _Gemma_. "At midnight on October 3rd, I'll be waiting for you on the bridge; you know where. You'll have to come alone, Isabella. None of your friends can come with you." He paused. "And you will have to bring me something."

"What?" I asked hesitantly, my voice catching in my throat. I could _see_ him smiling from wherever he was. He was probably enjoying this. He liked having control. Power. The ability to manipulate others from a distance.

"One of my sources, an agent, will give you a locked briefcase. The briefcase will have what I want inside. You will have to get it past airport security unnoticed, and then deliver it to me here in San Francisco. The package is very important; you better not mess this up, Isabella. Or it will cost your friend her life."

Right before he could cut off the connection, I spoke up, perplexed. "You said airport security. What do you mean, I'll have to get it past airport security?" I whispered as quietly as I could, careful not to speak loud enough for anyone else to hear me.

"Oh, yes. I almost forgot to mention this," he chuckled wryly. "The agent's in Russia."

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

* * *

*************PLEASE READ*********PLEASE READ********PLEASE READ********PLEASE READ*********PLEASE READ*************

**Hey guys. Sorry this is so freakishly short compared to every other chapter I've ever written. It's pretty depressing actually. But I just felt like I needed to end that there. *cue wicked glint in eye***

**This is more of a filler chapter, before the action (Or at least what my definition of action is; I'm not the best writer, as you can tell, and I have no idea how to effectively engage a reader :P My language arts teacher would be proud of me for admitting that; she'd say "The first step to improving yourself is admitting you're wrong!" XD) actually begins. **

**As you can see, Gemma over here *gestures to empty space to the left* has her life on the line. And Bella here *gestures to empty space to the right* has to save Gemma's life by getting whatever to **_**him**_** (name will be revealed later) in six weeks. **

**But six weeks is a long time, you say. **

**Not when you have to convince your father (chief of police), your school, and the whole town of Forks that there is absolutely no reason for the disappearance of Gemma and your immediate departure to Russia. **_**And**_** you have to deal with the whole lockdown situation with the police.**

**Now, how does Edward come into all of this? Along with the rest of the Cullens, of course…**

**A lot of questions for you guys to think about before the next update. Review!**

**-Sonia :)**


	12. Avoiding Questions

**Chapter 11: Avoiding Questions**

**August 22, 2012: Forks High School, Hallway**

* * *

"How frighteningly few are the persons whose death would spoil our appetite and make the world seem empty."

―Eric Hoffer

* * *

Russia. Russia. _Russia_.

I stood still to let the reality of the situation sink in.

In six weeks, I had to go to Russia (place unspecified), get a package from an agent there (name unknown), get it past national airline security (airport unspecified), and then deliver it to him in San Francisco. All in the hopes that Gemma won't be dead by the time I get there; he isn't exactly the type of person who keeps his word.

"_You said you wouldn't kill her!"_

"_Do you think I care, Isabella?"_

"_She was six! __**Six!**__" _

"_She wasn't strong, Isabella. I don't tolerate tears."_

"_But __**I'm **__crying! Why don't you shoot me too?"_

"_You, dear, are different. You show promise. She didn't."_

I turned around to face my friends before I could pass out.

"What was all that about, Bella? He… we couldn't hear anything after he said Tara was complimenting him…" Austin wisely stopped talking when Tara shot him a glare that could freeze blood.

I couldn't tell them; he needed me to come _alone_. If I told them, they would never let me go alone. They would never let me go _period_. And I couldn't lie to them. Not just because they were spies; I've lied to more than my share of spies. But they were my _best friends_. No lie ever got past them, especially not from me. So I decided to just ignore their questions.

Jace repeated what Austin asked. "What was that about, Bella?"

"Nothing. Now, before the police get here, we need to pretend like we were hiding. _Immediately_."

They obviously didn't believe me. They looked at me as if I had just said that stepping on a Lego _didn't_ hurt like hell.

"No. It's not _nothing_, okay Bella?" Austin said, getting irritated. "Enough of avoiding our questions and telling us half-truths. Just… what's wrong? We can help, Bells. If you would just let us―"

The sound of police sirens interrupted him, thank god. I gave him a pointed look, raising an eyebrow.

"See? We need to hide. _Right now!_" He gave me a look that said _later_. Yeah, sure. Totally. (Note the sarcasm.)

We dashed off in separate directions.

Just as I reached the second floor, I heard the main doors slam open. The police had arrived.

Sprinting to the girls' restroom, I locked the door from the inside. My back to the door, I slid down slowly, my head in my hands. _What had I gotten myself into?_ And I wasn't thinking about the police.

Six weeks. It kept resounding in my head. It was a deadline; mine and Gemma's. _Literally_.

I had to convince Charlie that somehow, for some reason, I had to go to Russia. Immediately. Once there, I had to find the agent while avoiding any attacks by _them _(just because I was on a mission for him didn't mean he would call back any attacks). And until I could do that, I had to avoid the very people I had considered family. And then, one way or another, I had to fix this thing with Edward seeing us exit the classroom during the lockdown. All in the course of six weeks.

Perfect life, huh?

Just then, I heard a voice come over the intercom, but it wasn't the secretary. I lifted my head, trying to hear. "Staff and students, the police have arrived. However, we request that you stay in you rooms and ignore any knocking as the intruders may still be near. We ourselves will unlock all classroom doors." I was pretty sure that the person who just spoke was a police officer.

I just put my head back down, waiting for the police to unlock the door.

* * *

**August 22, 2012: Forks High School, Second Floor Girls' Restroom**

* * *

I lifted my head when I heard the unmistakable sound of a key in a lock. Scrambling away from the door as fast as humanly possible, I almost tripped on my way into a stall.

"Anyone in here?" I heard a female voice say the second I was out of sight.

Pretending to be a scared high-schooler, I purposefully made my voice crack. "Wh-who's th-there?" I stuttered, barely above a whisper.

I heard footsteps get closer to my hiding spot before the stall door was pushed open. The female officer's eyes softened when she saw how scared I looked. What she didn't know, though, was that I wasn't scared for the reasons she probably thought.

"Hello there, young lady. Are you alright?" I nodded, shaking. If I wasn't a spy, I would probably have chosen to be an actress. Then again, for me not have been a spy, my whole life would've had to be rewritten from when I was five. Not likely… or even possible.

But the officer believed my acting skills. "Well, you were a very smart girl, hiding here. Were you in the hallways when they announced a lockdown?"

I simply nodded, taking her hand when she offered it. She led me out of the restroom, talking about how many students―three―had been found in the restrooms today, and one even in the janitor's closet. I tried to act clueless. "Was anyone hurt?" I asked, fake anxiety in my voice. She just shook her head, with a grim smile on her face.

"No _student_ was hurt… but I can't say the same for the intruders. It isn't my position to be telling you…" One look at me told her that I desperately needed to know.

"One of the intruders was found dead and the other one sustained a severe blow to the head. He's in a coma right now, but it's not likely he'll make it. The first one, though, is the oddest case ever. There seem to be no markings of any kind on him. The forensic scientists have already said that it is highly possible that he received a jab to his jugular notch, although how a person could've did that to a man _that_ size is beyond me. And the most puzzling of all is _who_ could've done this. All the students and teachers were clearly hiding, and no other person has been found in the building. It just doesn't make sense." By the time she finished, her fingers were drumming against the gun in her holster and she was biting her lip.

When we finally reached the first floor, I saw one of the very people I least wanted to see right now.

"Bella!"

I tried not to roll my eyes at the worry in Charlie's voice. Instead, I just stood stone still as he ran over to me and gave me a giant hug. And boy, did it take everything in me not to tell him to snap out of it and that I'd been through much, _much_ worse.

"I was so worried when they said you weren't in the classroom, Bells. Thank you god. Thank you so much for letting my Bella be alright," he whispered into my hair. _Don't smile, Bella. Now's not the time to start smiling. They'll officially throw you into the mental hospital._

"It's okay, dad," I muttered. "I'm fine."

"But I was so close to losing you, Bells." He pulled back to look at me, making sure I really was fine. His eyes were red from crying. "This has never happened before. A lockdown in Forks is―was―unheard of before today."

Someone cleared his throat beside us. Turning to look, I recognized Dr. Cullen. He had been my doctor when I had passed out…

"Hello, Chief Swan. I'm here to check your daughter for any signs of injury―"

"Yes, yes. Bella, follow Dr. Cullen, okay? I'll be there in a minute; I just need to finish this here…" Charlie said, vaguely gesturing to the high school.

"It's fine, dad," I said, understanding that he was busy. "I'll be okay." I offered him a smile before facing Dr. Cullen.

"Well, Bella, is it?" Dr. Cullen asked as I followed him outside to the ambulance. I nodded in response, not really paying attention. "So you see, Bella, it turns out that quite a few people had been locked out of classrooms today," I glanced at him questioningly, acting like I had no idea what he was talking about.

"I'm going to check on you, obviously, because I had been your doctor during your last visit to the hospital," he said, observing my reaction. I kept my face calm.

"Who were the other students?"

"Oh, let's see… Jason, Katarina, Rylee, and Austin were the four others who had been locked out. Don't worry; there are other doctors checking over them. We usually check on the ones who had been locked out first since they are the ones that weren't supervised by any teachers and had to manage the lockdown by themselves."

He stopped talking when we arrived at the ambulance. "Go ahead and step inside; you're the last one, so we'll be heading to the hospital now. Since all of you have no apparent injuries, we've decided it would be better to just head to the hospital directly so that we could also check for any signs of psychological problems related to the lockdown."

My stomach dropped. I would be stuck in the ambulance with the people who would now question me more thoroughly than the police. This just wasn't my day, was it?

"Thanks, Dr. Cullen," I mumbled, trying to stall for as long as I could. Sighing, I stepped inside the ambulance.

For the next ten minutes, I tried to take no notice of the questioning stares. I tried not to fidget uncomfortably when we just sat there in an uneasy silence. I tried not to give into the pressure they were putting on me.

I almost shoved aside the paramedic who came to open the ambulance doors when he took too long. Getting out of the ambulance, I breathed in the fresh air, relieved that my questioning would be avoided for today.

The paramedics led us down the hospital halls and eventually, we were assigned our separate rooms. I waited, twiddling my fingers, until Dr. Cullen arrived.

"So, Bella, how are we today?" he asked, all formal.

"Fine."

"Any pains anywhere? Soreness? Cuts or scrapes?"

"Nope."

"Honest?"

"Yep."

"Well, I thought this would take a lot longer. I'll be right back with your file."

I hated how they tried to analyze your condition at hospitals. I know it's their job, but sometimes, they need to understand that patients won't want to talk about their feelings or their reactions to something that happened. That they won't want the world to know what's going on in _their_ world… and that they live in a world drastically different from everyone else.

A world with different standards for survival, different standards for… life.

Dr. Cullen walking back in with my file disrupted my thought process.

"You don't show any signs of psychological problems either, so I can't exactly recommend you for therapy―"

"Wait, what?"

"The nurse told me you were mentally fine."

"Nurse?"

"Yes, the nurse that was sent in here while I was getting your file."

"Um… sure. Oh, yeah! I remember. Okay, go on." In all honesty, I had no idea what he was talking about. Over time, though, I've learned to accept that some things weren't to be questioned.

Dr. Cullen looked at me like he doubted the phantom nurse's phantom test results about my mental stability. "Alright… so the Fischers are apparently waiting to drop you off; they have a written note from your father. Although how he had the time to write the note in these conditions…" He shook his head. "But he is your father; he would've made the time somehow."

I had stopped listening after he said the Fischers were going to drop me off.

Charlie would never have let anyone else drop me off anywhere after this incident.

My question was answered immediately when Genevieve rushed into the room. "Oh, Bella! Are you alright, dear?"

At any other time, I would've laughed at her attempting to be motherly. Don't get me wrong; she was very convincing. It just clashes with her usual personality of being like a big sister. Not much of a difference, but still entertaining. But like I said, I would've laughed _at any other time_. Right now, though, I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was already developing a game plan for "How to Interrogate Bella". It was a _very_ scary look.

"Mrs. Fischer, I take it?"

Dr. Cullen brought us out of our staring contest. (Which I was already losing.)

"Yes. I believe we've met sometime before… You seem familiar."

"As a matter of fact, we have; the last time Bella here had been hospitalized for―"

"Oh, yes, I remember now. You were her doctor the last time as well."

"Okay…" I interrupted their bonding session. Genevieve wasn't doing a bad job at acting clueless; she was _too_ good. It was unnerving for me still, even after all these years. "So now that I'm in the clear, can I go home?" I asked Dr. Cullen.

He nodded. "Just make sure to come back if you don't feel alright, okay?"

I exhaled in relief, glad that I could get out of here. Temporarily ignoring the fact that I would now have to go to the interrogation room, I focused on what I would have to do when I got back home. It wasn't as if I'd have any relaxation time; I'd have to immediately start planning out everything for my… mission.

Here's the thing: it still didn't feel real. It felt like I could just wait till tomorrow morning, and Gemma would be back to banging her fist on my door, yelling at me to hurry up.

I don't think it got through to my mind yet that this was a dead serious situation. We _really _had an agent missing.

And we didn't know if she'd ever get back alive.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

* * *

_**This Chapter is Dedicated to:**_

_**kunfupandalover [You've been with this story from Chapter 1! Thanks ever so much!]**_

_**penny. bear. 37**_

_**underscore65**_

_**coolgle [You're just the best for reviewing to every chapter. Seriously.]**_

_**Doclover**_

_**AliciaCullen (Guest) [I legit love your reviews, Alicia! They always make me smile!]**_

_**kay11kay1**_

_**yuuki24688**_

_**Riddan**_

_**Horses-are-my-life [Thank you so much for all your help!]**_

* * *

'**Ello all! :P I'm seriously thinking about cutting down on the A/N s. Most of you don't even read them. And looking back on it… I write a **_**lot**_**. Sorry about putting you guys through all that torture. But thank you so much for all of you who review; I'm going to start dedicating my chapters. So if you review to this chapter, the next chapter will be dedicated to you. :) **

**Love you all!**

**-Sonia :D**


	13. Breaking Ties

**Chapter 12: Breaking Ties**

**August 22, 2012: Fischer Residence**

* * *

"Everyone wanted answers I wasn't ready to give."  
―Lucy Christopher, _Stolen: A Letter to My Captor_

* * *

Sometimes, I think that I'm capable of surviving any kind of questioning by an agent.

Well, I'm not.

So far, it's been thirty minutes since I've arrived at their house.

The car ride had been dead silent, except for the few seconds it had taken Genevieve to explain that the 'phantom nurse' had been her arranging fake test results so I wouldn't be held up in the hospital for psychological problems that weren't all from today. (I was bound to have quite a few.) But I had felt their burning gazes on me the rest of the time.

Rylee and Austin were now taking turns trying to locate Gemma by her comms unit; it was the only traceable device she had on her since our phones can't be traced. Charlie hadn't called yet, so for now, I was stuck here.

Headquarters had been alerted, but they could do nothing more at this time than try to track Gemma's location (since no one had heard that conversation between me and him). No one knew what was going to happen to Gemma. No one knew that her life rested on my shoulders and depended on my choices, my success. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but I don't do well with responsibility. I always screw up in the end.

Sighing loudly, I lifted my head out of my hands and leaned back in my chair. I was met with the worried gazes of Genevieve, Derek, and Jace, and the angry glare from Tara.

"Seriously, Bella. I _do not_ understand why you simply _refuse_ to tell us _anything _whatsoever. I just don't get it!" Tara said, exasperated, and stood up. "Gemma was _kidnapped_ Bella; I don't know if you realize that yet or not." She slowly walked toward me. "But she was freaking _kidnapped_, and you're here, not telling us any information you might know."

Screaming in frustration, she stomped back to where she was sitting. She looked at the chair in distaste. "What the hell wrong with you?!" She kicked her chair, releasing her pent up anger. The poor chair slammed into the wall; one of its legs broke off. I shuddered, imagining that it was me.

"Really, Bella, do you have any information at all?" Derek asked calmly, shooting Tara a disapproving look. "_Anything_. It can help us find Gemma faster and maybe save her life."

Yeah right, I wanted to say. The only way you can possibly save Gemma's life is by leaving me the hell alone so that I could do whatever the hell _he_ wants me to without disturbances. But I didn't say any of that. (Mostly 'cause Genevieve would yell at me for language. She had given up on trying to correct Tara for hers.) I just stared at the table in front of me.

Rule #1: Remain silent. Once you start talking, it's hard to stop. Once you start telling the truth, it's harder to start lying.

Jace finally turned to look at me. "Please, Bells. Just… at least tell us what he said after he cut the rest of us off from the conversation. No one will blame you for anything." Wrong thing to say. My anger flared… along with inspiration.

If they thought I hated them, they wouldn't get suspicious if I stopped coming around, would they? In any normal situation, what Jace said wouldn't have bothered me; I would've just gone with it and said that it _was_ my fault ('Cause technically it was, right?). But if I overreacted, then maybe―just maybe―I could get out of this interrogation room. The "Fischers" would be out of the equation in just one day. That all passed through my mind in a fraction of a second as my eyes narrowed at Jace.

_Please, mediocre acting skills. Don't fail me now._

"You think _I'm_ to blame?" I asked slowly, dangerously. "Of all people, I thought you, Jace, would be more understanding. And now you're saying _I'm_ responsible for Gemma's kidnapping?"

His eyes widened; he was afraid. Good, I thought. He _should_ be afraid. "No, Bella, I didn't mean it like that, I just said―"

"That no one would blame me for anything. Which implies that you think I'm at fault, but if I just confess to doing something incriminating, then no one will blame me."

"That's not what I―"

"Don't lie to me, Jace. I'm better at it than you ever will be," I snapped, praying that I wouldn't suddenly lose my nerve and stop arguing. He opened his mouth to talk, but Tara beat him to it.

"And how do you know that, Bella? Huh?" Tara asked angrily. "How would you know that he's lying? That you're a better liar?"

"Tara, I think that's a bit _too_ far―"

"I don't care, Genevieve. I. Don't. Care. She hasn't been a spy for as long as any of us. What makes her think she's better?" That was a low blow. She knew very well why I was better. Why MI6 was, at first, reluctant to take me in. I stared at my hands, looking over my nails. _Don't let it get to you, don't let it get to you… Don't you _dare _go into a flashback _now_, Bella!_

My brain reeled into high gear as I fought back any emotion. _Best course of action: Act cold. Indifferent. Unemotional._

"Four years," I said coldly. I stopped playing with my hands. "After _four years_, anyone would become an expert. Especially when they're with _them_. When lying is a means of survival, you get used to doing it. It becomes a second language to you. And if you speak the language, you understand it." I looked up, planning to glare, but it turned out as an empty gaze, void of any emotion or feeling. "You'll be able to tell when another person is lying, too." My voice traitorously (but effectively) cracked at the end, fading to a whisper.

Jace looked at me, his eyes filled with apologies. But before he could say anything, Tara muttered, "It would be so much easier if you were kidnapped, Bella. At least Gemma never hid things from us."

She was right; Gemma would have no reason to hide anything from them. I, on the other hand… I had plenty of reasons to keep secrets.

_Do _not _let it get to you. Don't stop arguing. You are THIS close, Bella…_

"So that's what you think?" I asked, my voice barely audible. Tara didn't look up at me. "Fine. Be that way," I said, getting up. Running out of the dining room, I was at the door with my hand reaching out for the knob when I heard someone behind me.

"And where do you think you're going, Bells?"

"What I do and where I go is none of your concern, Jason," I said icily without turning around. I had to keep this up, no matter how much it hurt me to hurt my friends. "You've made that pretty obvious."

"No, Bella, please―"

"Please what?" I whirled around. If I didn't get out of here soon, I would crack. "Please don't leave just because we doubt your honesty? Please don't leave just because we're all but accusing you of causing all of this? I'm sorry, Jason. I… I can't."

I shook my head and opened the door. Not wanting to glance back and see his expression, I sprinted down the driveway.

And as soon as I was a sizable distance away from the house, I let the tears fall.

When I had turned around to face him at the door, he… he looked hurt. _What an understatement, Bella. You literally broke him._

There was an unspoken rule between all of us―calling someone by his or her full name (unless they didn't have a nickname or didn't like their nickname) was "forbidden".

If you did, it was as if that person was a stranger to you. I could tell from his face that what hurt Jace more than the fact that I was leaving was the fact that I had called him "Jason". Never had I called him that. Even when he had first introduced himself, his exact words were: "The name's Jason, but call me Jace."

And so I had never had a reason to call him anything but "Jace" (unless we were undercover or something… but that doesn't count). The only reason I had called him by his full name a few minutes ago had been to make it clear that I had no intention of forgiving him.

_But that's what he needs to think. For you to save Gemma's life, you'll need to slowly cut off all ties in Forks. Maybe not permanently, but at least for a while. It was necessary, Bella. Even though you basically trashed any chance that you will ever mend your friendship, you probably did save all their lives._

Sniffling, I wiped away the tears. My spirits lifted as my mind tried to rationalize my actions. I was doing this for them. So that they wouldn't have to get any more involved than they already were.

I had almost reached the edge of the woods where the "Fischers" lived when I heard the sound of a car pulling up behind me. I braced my self for the wrath of Genevieve; she would probably insist that I come back with them, saying that it was "a safety hazard" if I was wandering everywhere on my own.

Instead, I was in for a shock when I saw who was in the driver's seat.

"Bella?" a surprised Dr. Cullen asked. I saw Alice in the backseat and whom I remembered was Jasper in the passenger's seat.

"Dr. Cullen?" Why was he here? I would've thought that he'd still be at the hospital.

"What are you doing out here alone? Shouldn't you be with the Fischers?"

Good question. Think fast, Bella!

"I decided to walk home."

"You do know that you're father is still at the station filling out paperwork and reviewing the evidence, right?"

"I don't mind staying home alone."

"Do you need a ride?"

"I like walking. It helps clear my mind."

"I insist. It isn't safe for anyone to be walking around town alone anymore, especially not young kids like yourself."

Dr. Cullen, I can probably handle attacks like that better than _you_, as an _adult_, could. But I didn't say that. It would probably be better to go with them. Besides, then I could see if Edward had told anyone about seeing me sneak out during the lockdown.

"Alright," I said half-heartedly. Alice opened the door for me from the inside.

"So, Bella, right?" She asked me conversationally.

"Yeah," I replied. I made a point of acting bored, hoping she'd take the hint. She didn't.

"You're new this year?"

"Yep."

"You know, maybe you could come over some time. Me and my sister, Rosalie, could show you around town."

I know this town better than you. I'm a _spy_.

"Sounds fun."

"Really? When do you want to come over? We can make plans to rent movies, do our nails, go shopping…"

"Alice?" Jasper said from the front seat. "You might be scaring her." I thought he whispered something else, too, but it was too low for me to hear.

Alice laughed with her high-pitched, twinkling voice. "Hey! I'm not scaring you, am I?" She turned to me.

"Um, no. Not at all." Please stop talking to me.

"See, Jazz?" Alice said, sticking her tongue out at Jasper. Then she faced me again. "We could be _best_ friends! So when are you free?"

"Um…" Never.

"How about Friday? Today's Wednesday, so it's not like you can come over tomorrow… but are you free on Friday?"

No.

"Sure…" Maybe I could fix things with Edward. I hadn't seen him since the lockdown…

"Great! I can just imagine all the fun we'll have…"

Jasper and Dr. Cullen chuckled, as if this was an inside joke. Jasper then shook his head. "Only Alice would invite someone she barely knows to a sleepover."

I cracked a smile.

"So, freaky lockdown, huh?" Alice asked me. "What do you think of it?"

What do _I _think of it? _I_ was the _reason_ for it!

"It was a… surprise," I said honestly. For some reason, my mental walls seemed… weaker around these people. I felt calmer, more trusting. Alien feelings.

"A surprise? So you weren't freaking out?" She said it like freaking out was the most natural response.

"Well…" I had to choose my words carefully. "When I went to Oxford―"

"You went to school in England?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, before coming to Forks. Anyway―"

"Didn't that high school get attacked on almost the first day of school? August 12, I think," Dr. Cullen added. He glanced at me in the rearview mirror, concerned.

"Yeah… that's kind of why I came here," I said dryly. These people just wouldn't let me finish, would they? Alice put her hands over her mouth in shock.

"Oh my goodness," she said, appalled. "Were you scared then?"

_Scared_ would be an understatement. Unlike today, people―students and teacher―had _died_.

"Terrified," I said.

"Are you going to move again?" she asked me. "Because of the lockdown here?"

"Probably not. I have no reason to."

She looked confused, so I tried to clarify the situation without giving too much away. After all, I hadn't been paying attention to how the media portrayed the attack.

"You see, in Oxford, the building sort of… exploded."

They looked at me in shock. "The building… _exploded_?" Jasper's voice was full of horror. I nodded. I guess _that_ part of the news hadn't reached them. "I suppose that's a valid reason to come to Forks… at least the school didn't explode here. Was it a bomb?"

No, it was a faulty cotton candy maker. (Note the sarcasm.)

"I don't know! I was busy trying to get out of there," I muttered. And actually, it was a few tons of TNT.

I sighed in relief when Charlie's house became visible. I had never been happier to get home.

"Okay, so Friday it is, right, Bella?" Alice asked me as we pulled into Charlie's driveway.

"Right," I said. I was hoping she'd forgotten. Her face lit up with a dazzling smile.

"I'll call you, 'kay? We'll exchange numbers tomorrow at lunch! Wait, will you sit with us tomorrow?" I froze halfway out the car. If I accepted, I wouldn't have to sit with the "Fischers". But if I _did_ accept, then I'd have to sit with the Cullens. Which included Edward.

Sitting with Edward would still be better than sitting with them.

"S-sure," I said hesitantly. Might as well see how this turns out… right?

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

* * *

**Hey everyone! Read and review, kay? Speaking of reviews…**

_**This Chapter is Dedicated to:**_

_**kunfupandalover [No problem! The least I can do is dedicate it to you. You've been reviewing since the first chapter! I cannot express how much I appreciate that!]**_

_**penny. bear. 37 [You're reviews are very observant! They make me smile! And as you can tell, the Cullens are now becoming sort of involved…]**_

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**Love you all! **

**-Sonia :D**


	14. Comprehending the Future

**Chapter 13: Comprehending the Future**

**August 22, 2012: Cullen Residence**

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"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking."  
―Albert Einstein

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**EPOV**

"You _what_?!"

She didn't reply, choosing instead to lean back on the sofa across from me and look down at her hands, smiling sheepishly.

"Alice, _why_ would you invite her over to our house for a sleepover? _Why?_"

_You're the one who's curious! I just made it a whole lot easier for us to find stuff out about her._

"By inviting her into a house full of _vampires_?!"

_…Yeah._

"Alice!" I groaned. Talking to Bella Swan was one thing; it didn't really matter. It didn't put her in any danger. But telling her to spend the night in a house full of vampires… that was something else entirely. But it seemed that I was the only one who was concerned for her safety. Rosalie was just irritated with Alice for inviting a human; she didn't care about the human's fate.

_Edward, do you think she'll like chicken and pasta? Oh, and should I make Fusilli pasta or Rotini? _

"Mom, Fusilli and Rotini are almost the same!" I heard Alice laugh.

_I know, honey. That's why I'm asking you._

"Mom…"

_Alright, alright… but which one?_

"Why don't you try Fusilli? Rotini is commonly used in salads, not with chicken," Alice suggested, holding back any more laughter.

"Thank you, Alice," Esme said happily from the kitchen. She wasn't complaining about Bella staying over. She was actually _excited_ to cook for her. Until now, she had been looking up different recipes. Now she was checking to make sure she had all the necessary ingredients.

_Edward?_

"Yes, Jasper?"

_Why are you so frustrated about her coming? It's not like she's going to permanently stay here or anything. It's just for one night. And you _were_ the one who was freaking out over her during the lockdown…_ _You should probably tell everyone about that._

"Now?"

_Edward, it was during a lockdown that she walked out. And you heard what happened outside. Even though the authorities could be narrow-minded and not notice how all the "missing" students were from the same class, we know better. _You _know better._

"Fine then―"

"Family meeting, everyone!" Alice shouted out unnecessarily. Regardless, everyone was there immediately, seated around the living room center table.

"What's the occasion, Alice?" Carlisle spoke up first. I could tell he knew something was up, especially from his encounter with Bella earlier today. But when he found this out…

"Edward," she said, glancing at me, "wants to tell you something. Something… important." All eyes turned to me. Jasper, trying to make it easier, sent a wave of calm around the room.

"Edward? What is it?" Carlisle faced me, curious.

"You see, it's about the… lockdown." I paused there, not knowing exactly how to continue. How was I supposed to tell them that Bella and her friends had walked right out of the room during the lockdown?

_Don't over think it, Edward. Just tell him what you saw._

I could see the different scenarios playing out in Alice's mind. It was a lot easier and shorter when I just let it out.

"What about the lockdown?" Carlisle pressed. _What is it, son? Was someone hurt?_

"No, no one was hurt, Carlisle." I saw Esme sigh in relief. "But you know how Bella and the Fischers weren't found in the classrooms?" He nodded, now even more confused. "It wasn't a coincidence."

His eyes narrowed. "I don't think I understand… What do you mean, it wasn't a coincidence?"

"I mean that all six of them were in the classroom when the lockdown was announced. But while the teacher was gathering everyone up, they… slipped out."

"Slipped out?" he asked. Awareness suddenly dawned on his face. "You mean they actually exited the classroom? _After_ it was announced?"

"They walked out during a lockdown?" Rosalie interjected, incredulous. "So were they the ones screaming and making all that noise in the hallways?"

"Rosalie, you have to understand that humans couldn't exactly hear―"

"No Edward, I get that. I'm just wondering if _they_ were the ones who took out those two men."

"What two men?" Esme asked, worry lining her voice.

"The two men that broke into the school," Jasper answered her impatiently. Then he turned to face Rosalie. "What makes you think that those six humans, being teenagers, could've taken out two fully grown men who were probably experienced fighters?"

Rosalie shrugged, leaning back against Emmett. "I was in the classroom closest to the 'fight scene'; that's how I saw the bodies when the police evacuated us. Those six were the only ones who were not in the classrooms, and there were no other intruders. Who else _could_ it be?"

"Hold on," Carlisle interrupted suddenly, raising his hands up. "You keep talking about six students, but only five were found outside of the classrooms and taken to the hospital."

There was silence. I tried to ignore the mess of thoughts around me until Carlisle's voice rang out in my head.

_Edward?_

I looked up to show that I was listening.

_Can you name the six students you saw exit the room?_

"The six students," I repeated so that everyone would understand, "Were Bella Swan; Jason Fischer; Katarina―but she prefers Tara―Fischer; Austin Fischer; Rylee Fischer; and Gemma Fischer."

"Gemma Fischer? We didn't take a Gemma Fischer to the hospital," Carlisle said, recalling his meeting with five of the students. It was true; Gemma hadn't been by the ambulances.

"Then where could she be?" Esme asked, Bella's upcoming visit pushed to the back of her mind.

"Did she enter the room again?" Jasper questioned me. Alice shook her head before I could respond.

"I don't see her future anymore."

"What?" Everyone turned to her in surprise. This was the first time she had really talked about her visions since the Fischers came to Forks. Since _Bella_ came to Forks.

"I can't see her future anymore," Alice repeated, frustrated. "I mean, I could still see it, but it doesn't depend on her decisions anymore. Basically, other people are deciding her life for her. It's like… it's like she doesn't have any more choices."

She turned to me. "And before you ask Edward, here's what the visions are like." She let me see the visions she was having whenever she focused on Gemma.

The first one was pure black. There was nothing. Nothing at all.

The second one was no better. There were random flashes of color every few seconds, but nothing more. Once again, nothing useful could be gathered from the vision.

But the third one was where things got interesting. Slightly. The first few seconds were black, then, all of a sudden, several images flashed by.

The first was of Gemma. Not that weird. But she was in a room devoid of any windows or other luxuries other than a single table, two chairs, and a door. And lights, of course. Gemma was, in the one second you could focus, pounding against the door with her fist.

The next one was of Bella. There was nothing significant in this image; she was just walking down what looked like a hallway. But there was a wall to her right and pillars to her left. Beyond the pillars was a small flight of stairs that led to a grand fountain surrounded by people. Although this definitely wasn't in Forks, what did this have to do with Gemma?

The third one was so short, I barely realized it was a vision. Again, it was Bella. Except this time she was with another person, a girl with dark brown, almost black hair. I could only see the back of the stranger's head, but I could tell by the glare on Bella's face that they were arguing about something. No Gemma in this image either, even though these visions were all supposed to be related to Gemma's future. I was beginning to understand what Alice meant about Gemma's future being decided by others.

The flash after that was probably the most disturbing out of all of them, even though it had the least action. It was of Gemma again, and in the same room, but she wasn't pounding on the door anymore. Rather, she was sitting with her head on her knees in the corner farthest from the door. The lights in the room were still bright white like in a hospital, but they made the room seem emptier. I realized that it was because there was now only one chair.

The fifth and final image was simple yet had almost nothing to do with Gemma herself. It was of a man sitting in front of a large computer screen, but it was impossible to distinguish what was on the screen. The man wasn't paying attention to the screen; he was reading a piece of paper.

And then the vision ended.

"So what's up, Ed? Figured anything out yet?" Emmett asked, speaking up for the first time today.

Alice looked at me with wide eyes, silently begging me to explain to everyone else what I had just seen in the past two seconds. I hesitated before facing Carlisle.

"Alice's visions of Gemma's future are… by no means set in stone. They flicker so quickly from one image to the next that it's impossible to see exactly what's going to happen. The visions of her that actually involve her are of her in a room. But the ones that seem to have even the littlest bit of significance don't even show her. They involve Bella, a girl with dark hair, and a man behind a desk," I finished, realizing just how confusing this all was after saying it out loud. Alice sighed.

"And that's it. No other visions at all. It's just so _frustrating_―"

"What about the rest of the Fischers?" Emmett asked.

"Their futures aren't any better. I could see their immediate futures, like what they're going to do in five minutes, but even that is fuzzy. And if I try to look any farther than that, I end up giving myself a headache." She rested her head in her hands. "Bella's future is even worse, you know. Ever since the lockdown."

"What?" I asked, shocked.

"Before the lockdown," Alice started to explain, "Their futures―Bella's and the Fischers'―were more or less along the same lines. Now it seems like Bella's future kind of… veered off into a different direction. I can barely see her anymore."

"Why do you think this is happening, Carlisle?" Jasper asked him, his eyebrows furrowed. His confusion was probably paramount by now because of the confusion coming from the rest of us.

"I don't know… Alice?" She lifted her head even before her name was called, knowing that Carlisle wouldn't be able to answer him.

"It's because their futures don't just depend on their own decisions, Jazz. Their futures depend on their own choices. But those choices are defined by someone else; a third party, kind of." She paused. "It's almost like someone else is setting up the outlines for their lives, and they―namely Bella―are just trying to live within them."

Everyone, even Rosalie, was definitely interested by now.

"But the main question right now is not their future," Carlisle finally said. "When a person goes missing, the family usually fills out a missing report for the person. But why are the Fischers acting like nothing is wrong when their daughter is missing?"

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

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_**This Chapter is Dedicated to:**_

_**kunfupandalover**_

_**I-am-Derpette**_

_**penny. bear.37**_

_**yuuki24688**_

_**coolgle**_

_**Lionnara**_

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_**AliciaCullen (Guest)**_

_**DemiGoddess2012 (*high-five* :D)**_

_**Guest (Guest)**_

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_**Lillia (Guest)**_

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**So sorry I haven't updated any of my stories in so long. It's ISAT week right now (Illinois Standards Achievement Test) so can't really be on my computer, like, at all this week. I just snuck this up since I had already finished this. :)**

**Read and review, friends. Read and review. :P**

**That's all, folks! XD**

**-Sonia**


	15. Clues and Confrontations

**Chapter 14: Clues and Confrontations**

**August 23, 2012: Swan Residence, almost 12:00 a.m.**

* * *

"Just when you think it can't get any worse, it can. And just when you think it can't get any better, it can."

– Nicholas Sparks, _At First Sight_

* * *

Pacing back and forth across your bedroom floor in the middle of the night would probably be considered unhealthy. Especially if you're target practicing with knives while you're at it.

"Why me? Why Gemma? Why _this_?" I vented as I threw yet another knife at the plastic Target bag that was hanging from my wall. It was good for target practice, with all those mini Target symbols. I hadn't missed even one yet.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that it was unreasonable to pace around throwing knives and accomplishing nothing, and that instead, I should probably be trying to locate where exactly in Russia I was supposed to go.

But that was exactly why I was so mad at the world.

Russia isn't a small country – it's the biggest country in the world. Where was I supposed to start?

_Russia. Capital: Moscow. Approximate population: 11,500,000. Approximate land area: 969.1 square miles. Current President: Vladimir Putin._

I froze in the middle of flinging another knife into the torn up plastic Target bag.

I thought I had forgotten all of that. Not the fact that Moscow was the capital of Russia, but how the facts used to just pop into my head. Back when I was with them and still working – stealing, killing – for them, I remembered how basic information was drilled into us. And it was useful; almost like a built-in library of information.

But once I had arrived at MI6 headquarters, they had had tested my knowledge to determine whether I was innocent or not. I couldn't reveal that I had the security systems and basic blueprints of major buildings, including the British and U.S. government facilities, memorized. Or that I could hack into the U.S. Pentagon's security system and computer files. Or even that I knew everything about the MI6 headquarters already: the location of every exit, every security camera, and even the name of every agent that worked there at the time.

It wasn't like _they_ taught me all of that; of course not! They wouldn't have wanted me knowing anything they themselves didn't. I had hacked into the systems and figured everything out myself.

And until now, I had thought that those memories, that "collection" of information, had been lost due to lack of use. Apparently not, though. The more I returned to plotting how to get out of here, the clearer they were getting. I was turning back into myself – the _real_ me.

And I was terrified.

But I didn't have much time to think over the consequences of returning to my old life; I was jolted out of my thoughts by my phone vibrating.

Walking over to my bedside table to grab it, I noted how there had only been one vibration; it was probably a text. After I unlocked my phone, I realized I was right – it _was_ a text. From an unknown number. My mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour, checking off possibilities of who it could be before I went into my messages. And I stopped breathing as I read the text.

_Moscow. Bolshoi Theatre. August 31._

Even though they weren't, I knew my hands should've been trembling. Because this wasn't from _him_; that much I knew. And if this wasn't from him, that would leave only…

The agent. The other agent in Russia that I was supposed to meet.

And he or she had just texted me when and where we would meet; the location or time wasn't up for discussion.

This was my first lead.

I felt the frustration leave me just as apprehension set in. This was it; this was really happening. And by next Friday, I had to be _in_ Moscow _at_ the Bolshoi Theatre.

It was a miracle I ever fell asleep.

* * *

**August 23, 2012: Swan Residence, approximately 7:30 a.m.**

* * *

"They wouldn't listen to me when I said I didn't want them to reopen the school! It's still too dangerous!"

"Dad…"

"Bella, don't even try to excuse this. I mean, those people were found with ear pieces and weapons: guns, knives, small pills–"

"Dad, don't worry; I'll be fine, okay? They said there were only two intruders, right? And both of them were found."

"That doesn't mean that it's safe. Those people had spy gear on them, Bella! _Spy gear!_"

"Dad? I'm pretty sure that criminals nowadays always have some sort of spy-like gear. The only reason you haven't seen anything like that is because this is Forks. _Forks_."

My dad sighed as he bought my complete lie. "I suppose you're right, Bells." I winced slightly at the nickname. It reminded me so much of… _Jace_. "Being a small town has its perks, eh?"

I nodded. Anything to end this conversation. And besides, I really had to get started; I had made it pretty clear yesterday that the "Fischers" weren't welcome in my life anymore, which left walking as my only option again.

"I'll see you after school, dad," I said, getting up from the table. Charlie glanced up at me.

"Are your friends giving you a ride?"

"Yes, of course," I said, thankful that he didn't hear how I replied a second too late. He looked back down to his newspaper.

"Well, then, stay safe, Bella."

I didn't reply. I couldn't promise him that when in less than eight days I was going to fly to the other side of the world and meet a secret agent.

"Oh, and Bells!" I paused in the midst of reaching for my backpack. "Just so you know, the school is going to be closed all of next week–"

"What?!" I exclaimed in surprise. _All_ of next week?

Charlie looked at me, confused at my sudden outburst. "Is… that a problem?" he asked slowly.

"Oh, no. Not at all," I breathed out. It's a relief, Charlie. You have no idea how much easier (by a little bit) it is to escape the country now. "Why are they closing it?"

"To investigate." He sighed. "They didn't bother closing it this week since it was already Thursday and they would need more than just four days to investigate. So they just gathered all the immediate evidence they could find and marked off the crime scene."

Standing up and walking over the sink to wash his plate off, he looked at the clock. "Your friends might be waiting, Bells. I'd hurry up."

I smirked at how ignorant he was of my situation as I grabbed my backpack and walked out of the house. Then, making sure no one was watching, I sprinted down the street as fast as I could until I was positive that Charlie wouldn't glimpse me from the distance. I started to walk at a leisurely pace, not eager to get to school.

Getting to school would mean facing Jace. I couldn't get myself to care about Tara, or even Rylee and Austin. I guess I couldn't really blame Rylee and Austin; they hadn't even been there. But Jace had always been an older brother to me.

I grimaced. I would never get used to hurting him.

When I reached a stop sign, I took a moment to scan my surroundings. It was something that I had always used to do.

Rule #2: Always scan your surroundings. Don't give anyone the chance to surprise you.

And that was how I noticed Alice furiously waving at me from the backseat of a silver Volvo that was slowly pulling up to the stop sign.

Be prepared for anything. That includes this, Bella.

I tried to act natural as the car came to a stop.

"Hey Bella!" she said happily, lowering the window. I observed that Jasper was in the front seat. "You want a ride?"

I hesitated, not wanting to get involved with these people.

"You'll be late if you keep walking," she added. She must've seen the indecision on my face.

Well, I had nothing to lose… right?

I got in the backseat, sitting next to Alice. As I took a casual glance at the driver's seat, I froze.

Edward. Edward was the one who was driving. Almost as if he felt me staring at him, he looked up, and our eyes met in the rearview mirror. I looked away quickly, before I could see the puzzled look in his eyes.

"Thanks, Alice," I muttered. She just smiled back, letting a few seconds pass before sitting up straight and facing me.

"So you're still up for tomorrow, right?" She looked at me, silently pleading me to agree.

"Of course," I said, not letting the annoyance make its way into my voice. Acting was like lying– second nature. I had learned from a young age that if you didn't have the ability to act, nothing else mattered; they'd kill you.

_"No, no, no, please, sir. I did nothing, I-I'm innocent! Really, I–"_

_"I never asked for your side of the story, Vanessa."_

_"No, really, sir! I swear, I didn't–Isabella! Isabella, please tell him that I don't know anything! Tell him you did it! I saw you!"_

_"Isabella?"_

_"I'm sorry, sir. I don't know anything about this."_

_"Sir, I didn't do it! She's not telling the truth! Isabella, please! I–"_

_"Even if you did plan on lying you're way out of this, you should've been a better actress, Vanessa. A better liar. You can't have one without the other; it would be an incomplete package."_

_The gunshot that followed echoed around the room._

"Bella? _Bella?_ Earth to Bella!"

I blinked once before my senses adjusted to reality. Alice was looking at me with a hint of worry in her eyes. "I was asking you why you were walking. Don't you usually catch a ride with the Fischers?"

I knew this question was bound to come up eventually. Might as well get it out of the way now.

"I wanted to walk today," I answered without missing a beat. "I prefer not to be as… conspicuous, driving in an expensive car and all…" She nodded in understanding. We settled into a comfortable silence after that.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" I asked her, trying to break the silence. Luckily, that was all I needed to say before she began a minute by minute description of how the day would go. I hoped I'd survive; she planned to give me a complete makeover…

* * *

**August 23, 2012: Forks High School, Hallway**

* * *

This was it. All through English, Government, Trig, and Spanish, I'd felt their glances and pointed stares (And even an apologetic glare from Tara – yeah, apologetic glare. It's her very own patented glare where she silently threatens you to forgive her.) even though I've tried my best to avoid them. And now lunchtime had arrived. There was no way to steer clear of them any longer.

I paused in the middle of switching my books into my locker for my next class. I _could_ ditch…

"Hey, Bella!"

Or not.

I reluctantly slammed my locker shut and faced Alice. "Hey… Alice."

"Well, _someone's_ not in a happy mood today," Alice said, raising an eyebrow. How is it that even though I've only known this girl for about a day, she already acts like we're best friends?

"Tired," I said, slinging my backpack over my shoulder and walking toward the cafeteria. Unfortunately, she was able to keep up with me. Damn.

"So, still sitting with us, right?"

"Right." I turned the corner and froze.

"How about tomorrow? Bella?"

I didn't answer her. Leaning casually against her locker, as if she had nowhere else in the world she had to be right now, was Tara.

After noticing that I saw her, she smiled and walked up to me and Alice as if the conversation last night never happened.

"Hey Bella, hey Alice," she said without batting an eye. "Can I walk with you guys to the cafeteria? I can't find Rylee, so…" She made it seem as if it was the most natural thing to ask, without a hint of hesitation in her voice.

Alice and I spoke at the same time.

"Sure!"

"Can I catch up with you, Alice?"

Alice turned to look at me, confused. "What?"

"Keep walking, Alice. I'll catch up with you." I smiled, forcing myself to not make it look forceful. "Just give us a moment, 'kay?"

"Alright," she said after a moment of indecision, glancing between me and Tara one last time before heading toward the cafeteria. "Hurry up!" she shouted without turning back around. That left me alone with Tara in the almost deserted hallways.

"Bella," she said. Not as a question; just a statement, as if she was reading out the weather forecast.

"Tara," I replied in the same flat voice, mocking her. She clenched her fists, not used to me being this difficult.

"Look, Bella, we need to talk."

"We're talking," I told her impatiently.

"Sometimes, I forget your annoying attitude," she mumbled. I raised my eyebrows.

"I thought you wanted to talk, Tara," I said again, annoyed.

"About yesterday," she confirmed. I noted how the conversation so far was composed entirely of choppy half-sentences.

"There's nothing _to_ talk about."

"That's what you think."

"And what do you think?"

"I think there's _plenty_ to talk about."

"Like?"

"Oh, I don't know… Gemma?" I pushed away the guilt that clawed at my heart.

"I thought we went over the fact that you wished it had been me instead of Gemma yesterday," I reminded her.

"And it's true," she said brazenly. "I _do_ wish that. Why? Because Gemma would've been–"

"More trusting, more responsible, more useful, I _know_!" I snapped. "We've discussed this, Tara!"

"You can't seriously just cut us out of the loop. We can help. You should know what MI6 is capable of."

"Why do I feel left out of this 'we' you're talking about?"

Tara paused before answering. "Because you've changed, Bella." She looked at me up and down. "You're not the same Bella that I knew at MI6 headquarters, before we sent you to America. Hell, even when we sent you to Oxford, you were still Bella. But now, ever since that lockdown, you…"

"Changed?"

"Yeah."

"Well guess what? Do you hear that?" I asked her, knowing it was silent in the hallway except for us.

"Hear what?" she asked.

"That's the beautiful sound of me not giving a fuck as to what you think, Tara." Her eyes widened; she knew I wasn't a fan of openly swearing in a conversation. "People change all the time. I'm no exception. And come to think of it, you're not either. Remember how you were for weeks, even _months_ after Ally died?"

Tara stiffened and her eyes narrowed when I mentioned Ally. I should've known better, but my temper was flaring.

"You changed too. _You _used to be worse than even _Gemma_ in the whole bubbly attitude, artsy personality, and fashion sense. But now you're… you. Moody and pessimistic," I finished, remembering how she used to be, before Ally's death.

Tara stood still for a full minute before speaking. Even then, she didn't look at me in the eyes. "She was my _sister_, Bella. My only family. And my parents were jerks; don't you even _dare_ to bring them up." She hesitated. "She was all I had, you know. I hadn't been around long enough to trust all of you. I didn't know… everything just fell apart."

When Tara lifted her head to meet my eyes, I could see the unshed tears in them. Shaking her head sadly, she turned around and crossed her arms but didn't walk away. "I just don't want Gemma _or_ you to get hurt, okay?" she admitted finally. "You two are like sisters to me. Rylee is too, I guess, but she's different. More friendly than sisterly." She sniffed, her back still facing me. I didn't move, unsure of where this was leading. "Whatever you do, I trust you, Bella. I know that something happened in that conversation you had with _him_. And I know that you're never gonna tell us, no matter what Jace or Austin or Rylee or _anyone_ does to convince you otherwise. But whatever you do, just… stay alive."

For a second, I thought she was going to turn around and say something else, maybe even hug me. But she just sprinted off, running away from the cafeteria.

Half of me was worried about Tara. Seriously, this was the first time she had ever really opened up to me about anything, especially her family (even if she did only use a few words to describe them).

The other half of me was… happy. Happy that at least _someone_ understood kind of what was going on. Happy that this was one less person I had to lie to in order to get my job done.

As I glanced at the clock on the wall at the end of the hallway, I realized that lunch was more than halfway over. No point in trying to meet up with Alice now, was there?

Smiling wryly, I started heading toward the main doors. It would've been much easier if I had just ditched in the first place…

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

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**P.S.S. Fanfiction's Doc Manager has been acting up lately... I'm sorry about any punctuation/grammar/bold and italics mistakes.**


	16. Partners in Crime Reunite

**Chapter 15: Partners in Crime Reunite**

**August 23, 2012: Swan Residence, 12:30 p.m.**

* * *

The past lies like a nightmare upon the present.

―Karl Marx, _The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte_

* * *

"If you're listening to this message, Bella, it just means that I'm not going to be leaving the station till it's pretty late; almost eleven. I didn't want you to worry about why I'm not home yet, so… Stay safe, Bells."

I was faintly smiling by the time the answering machine announced the end of the message. Charlie wasn't going to be back home anytime soon.

I was still smiling when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

And then the smile disappeared.

_Moscow. Bolshoi Theater. August 28._

I suddenly decided that I hated this agent.

August 28… that meant three _less_ days to get to Russia. And I hadn't even decided _how_ I would get there in the first place! And I had to meet him or her on Tuesday―_this_ Tuesday!

_At least there's no school next week, Bella. That ought to be better than nothing, right?_

I started up the stairs to my room; I might end up finding something there…

**…**

"Finally," I muttered as my fingers found the file I was looking for. Standing up from the closet floor, I brushed the dust off my clothes and backed away from my closet. I plopped down on my bed, pretzel-style, and set the file to the side as I pulled out my cell phone again and started dialing a familiar number―a number that I had dialed millions of times. And then I froze, seconds away from hitting the green call button.

I had almost called someone… someone that I hadn't spoken to properly since I was 13. My partner in crime.

I couldn't call him now, though; this was a mission I had to do on my own. If _he_ found out…

But I couldn't do it without him.

I mean, I _could_, but he'd been my partner for almost _every_ assignment I had had while I'd been with _them_. We were the closest any partners could be; acting in sync without having to communicate, having lengthy conversations with just a glance, completing each other's sentences when reporting the results of our assignment. The two of us were the best of the best, reserved for only the most vital, next-to-impossible missions…

Until MI6 rescued me.

Should I call him? _Could_ I call him?

_No, Bella, you shouldn't. Gemma's _life_ is on the line. You can't risk _him_ finding out, or Gemma…_ I shuddered.

_But Bella, you _have_ to call him! Your mission depends on him helping you! You haven't completed any assignment without him at your side for as long as you can remember! And anyway, _he_ said that you just had to arrive in San Francisco alone. He never said anything about meeting the agent alone…_

That convinced me. I hit call, not giving myself the time to rethink anything, and brought the phone to my ear. He answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

I bit my lip, unsure of whether I should really involve him. _He's already involved, stupid; he's still with _him_, isn't he? And this is for Gemma._

"Zach?" I asked softly. His breath caught on the other end.

"…Is it really you, Z?"

I took deep breath. "I need your help, Zach…"

* * *

**August 23, 2012: Swan Residence, around 1:45 p.m.**

* * *

"All you have to do is get to France, Z. Then you can catch a flight to Moscow from…" I heard the sound of rapid typing. "The Charles de Gaulle Airport. It's the closest airport to France―"

"Okay, I got it," I interrupted him. "I'm not stupid."

He chuckled. "You know, that's actually debatable―"

"And it hasn't been _that _long since the last time I've been to France," I continued, ignoring him. "But the thing is, I have to _get_ to at least France in the first place, right?"

He sighed. "Yes, yes you do. And remember, once you get to France, give me a call and I'll meet you in Paris. We'll agree on the place later; just get there first."

"If I get there at all," I added quietly. I heard him groan.

"Isabella Marie Swan, where has all your confidence gone? You didn't let that stupid spy agency drain you of your skills, did you?" he asked, teasing.

I laughed despite myself. "No, actually, I haven't." My smile faded and I slouched back on my pillow. "See ya soon, Zach."

"Good luck, Izzy."

I hung up somewhat reluctantly. I'd never realized how much I had missed our conversations. After MI6 had taken me in, I tried to forget… everything, I guess, of my past. I never did tell anyone about the flashbacks, either, although Gemma and everyone else figured it out eventually.

I missed Gemma…

I jumped, startled, when I felt my phone vibrate again. Thinking it was Zach again, I rolled my eyes, smiling, and hit answer. "What do you want, Zach?"

The person on the other end hesitated a second too long. A second too long to be Zach.

My eyes widened as I quickly glanced at the caller ID. I slowly brought the phone back to my ear.

"Hey, Alice!" I said, faking cheerfulness. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. Oh my god, Zach was right, you are SO stupid, Bella!_

"Hey, Bella," she said, albeit a little slower. Carefully. _You couldn't just check the frickin caller ID, could you…_

"So… why'd you call?" I asked, trying to distract her.

"Oh, that" ―I sighed in relief as the topic changed to something more comfortable―"I was calling to see if you were okay. I didn't see you at lunch…"

"I'm so sorry, Alice, I completely forgot about that!" I exclaimed (no I didn't). "I knew I was forgetting something," I muttered, adding it as an afterthought (only to solidify my acting).

"It's completely fine," she relied, a smile in her voice, "I just called because Edward said you weren't in biology and Mr. Banner didn't know where you were while he was taking attendance. So when Mr. Banner called the office they said you went home sick or something…"

"Oh," I said, surprised. There were a few things wrong with this conversation that I noticed already.

One: I never went to the office before ditching to act like I was sick. I'd just hoped to hack into Charlie's email account and send the school an email excusing it.

Two: Mr. Banner wouldn't have announced to the class that I "went home sick", would he? Then how would Edward have known… (On the other hand, why would Edward have even brought _me_ up in a conversation with Alice?)

Three: How the hell did Alice get my phone number in the first place?

"Thank you so much for calling, Alice." I smiled (someone told me that _feeling_ happy when you're talking to someone on a phone make you _sound_ happy too). "I'll be at school tomorrow, though. So we'll still be able to have that… slumber party…" I almost smacked myself in the face. _Really, Bella? I thought you didn't want to go!_

"Oh, good!" Alice said in relief. "But you don't have to, you know. Only if you feel alright―"

"Hey, it's a day away, Alice. A lot can change." Hopefully, I'll stop being such an idiot.

She laughed. "Just get better first, Bella," she said. "See you tomorrow!"

"You too," I said before ending the call and falling back onto my bed.

I was starting to regret ever coming to Forks. I even had a mental list of all the things happening right now which were… not preferable.

I was getting closer and closer a freaky family of inhumanly beautiful people.

I was partly, if not completely, responsible for Gemma's kidnapping and her life now rested on the decisions that _I_ made.

I had basically returned to my roots by calling Zach. All of that time with MI6―wasted.

And I'm pretty sure that I'm going to despise this "agent" character I'm supposed to meet next week.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

* * *

**I have no excuse. Actually *evil smile*... I do: My friend's dog kinda... _ruined_ my flash drive. *sad face* The very flash drive with all my stories on it.**

**So I just retyped this whole chapter from memory (it's not exactly the same as the first copy, obviously) after spending a few days looking all over the planet for the flash drive that I _thought_ I'd lost before finding the chewed up pieces of it under the sofa in the basement. From now on, I'm keeping my laptop and my flash drives (all of them) locked up upstairs in my room.**

**Review, kay guys? I love dem reviews... :P (lol)**

**-Sonia**

**P.S. You know, if you look at "(lol)" closely, it looks kinda like some sort of face. The two "l"s are the eyes and the "o" is the nose and the parentheses are the sides of the face :P Wow, Soni, you're going KRAZZZZY... (I know I spelled krazy wrong but it looks kooler that way. :D)**

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_**This Chapter is Dedicated to:**_

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_**[Thank you guys so much for reviewing and phew, that list was long! Thank you so much!]**_


	17. Escape Plans and the Cullen House

**Chapter 16: Escape Plans and the Cullen House**

**August 24, 2012: Cullen Residence, Driveway, shortly after school**

* * *

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."  
― Dr. Seuss

* * *

_This is your chance to perfect your acting, Bella. If you can fool the Cullens, you'll _definitely_ fool Charlie when you say that you can't stay here any longer; that you're sick of the life here._

I had spent a majority of the lunch hour ignoring Alice and plotting how to get out of Forks instead. And leaving Charlie the exact same way Renee had left him (those details had been collected by MI6 before I came to Forks; I have no clue as to how they got such private details) seemed like the only possible way, even if he would never forgive me for it. At least he wouldn't call the FBI.

I was so busy wrapped up in my own thoughts that I barely noticed when the car eased to a stop.

"You gonna be okay, Bella?"

I glanced up from my hands to see Charlie looking at me with concern. I smiled, trying to ease his paranoia. Ever since the lockdown incident, he'd been worried about letting me go anywhere alone, and never let me go out anywhere after five o'clock. I still had to ask Alice how she convinced him to let me stay over…

"I'll be fine," I said.

Charlie just shook his head and muttered something that sounded like _stay safe_ under his breath as he got out to walk me to the door. I wanted to roll my eyes and tell him that I've lived through situations a _lot_ more dangerous than walking to a front door unattended… but I didn't.

I just followed him, grabbing the small backpack that I brought along from the back seat.

Charlie rang the doorbell when I reached the door. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three―

The door opened widely, with a caramel-haired woman smiling widely.

"Hello, Chief Swan," she said, stepping aside to let us in. "Hello, Bella."

"Good evening, Mrs. Cullen. And please, call me Charlie." I almost started laughing at how flustered Charlie looked, stepping into the house. I'll admit, if I hadn't been inside Derek and Genevieve's place already, my jaw probably would've dropped, too.

***** The following paragraph is the exact description of the Cullen house from the book by Stephenie Meyer and does not belong to me. *****

The inside was very bright, very open and very large. This must have originally been several rooms, but the walls had been removed from most the floor to create a wide open space. The back, south-facing wall had been entirely replaced with glass, and beyond the shade of the cedars, the lawn stretched bare to a wide river. A massive curving staircase dominated the west side of the room. The walls, high-beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets were all varying shades of white.

All in all, it was a frickin palace.

"This is a… very nice home you have here, Mrs. Cullen," Charlie said, still staring around. I realized that he must never have seen the inside before.

"Thank you, Charlie. And please, call me Esme," she responded just as Dr. Cullen came in. He had a friendly smile on his face.

"Hello, Mr. Swan. I assume you're here to drop Bella off?"

_Thank god you're here, Captain Obvious. I never would've figured that on my own._

"Dr. Cullen," Charlie nodded. "Bella told me how Alice invited her over. I just hope we're not intruding on any family time. Please, if she's any trouble―"

I glared at my dad.

Carlisle just chuckled good-humoredly, at ease. "I assure you, if you ever meet Emmett, you'll be thankful you have a daughter like Bella."

_Oh, the irony._

Charlie laughed with him, but it seemed a bit forced. "He couldn't be that bad… anyway, I have to get back to work." He turned to face me. "Behave, okay, Bella?" I nodded, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, I'll be on my way now. Thank you so much," he said to them quickly.

Too quickly.

He smiled at me one last time before leaving.

Charlie wasn't usually this… brusque. It seemed like as soon as he was over the shock of seeing the house, he was trying to fight an instinct to run away.

I turned slowly, holding my breath, wary of the Cullens already. Something wasn't right in this house, and I didn't like being left in the dark.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

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*****Alright guys, new poll. It's between the two top story plots that you guys voted for in the _first_ poll. Please vote!*****

**Thank you guys so much for reading this story and reviewing. Please review! It makes me happy to know what you think about this story, even if you think it sucks and I should go die somewhere alone (please don't say that though...*wide eyes*). **

**And this is short, I know, (super short) but I got a new flash drive, and I'm making progress re-saving the chapters for both my stories****!**** (How? By, you know, copying them from fanfiction and then pasting them in the Word Document, changing the basic format, and saving. Why in the name of air fresheners do I do this? So that if I ever look back and think _Dear god, this is frickin TRASH!_ I can edit and repost them if I wanted to) :) I'm happy now... next chapter will be about the actual sleepover and how the Cullens notice something is off about Bella. ;) REVIEW!**

**-Sonia**

**P.S. This is kinda awkward... but special thanks to almost my entire dance class for slowly reviewing to almost every chapter so far! Never knew you were Twilight fanfiction addicts too... Okay. Glad that's out of the way. At least now I know what you guys do during those ten minute breaks on your phones! :D I was the only loner playing Subway Surfers... I am obsessed with that game.**

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_**This Chapter is Dedicated to:**_

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	18. Odd Behavior

**Chapter 17: Odd Behavior**

**August 24, 2012: Cullen Residence, Living Room**

* * *

Me, I'm dishonest, and you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly, it's the honest ones you have to watch out for.

―Johnny Depp

* * *

**EPOV**

_I shouldn't feel this way. The Cullens are a nice family. But why do I feel so… uneasy around them? At least Bella seems fine…_

I wasn't surprised by Charlie's thoughts. It's how any human would react―how any human _should_ react. But Bella… she wasn't a normal human.

The first clue being that I couldn't read her mind. But I've accepted that, even though it still is rather frustrating not knowing what she's thinking. Like right now, for example.

Her heartbeat wasn't accelerating like Charlie's was. Her instincts weren't screaming at her to run in the opposite direction. If anything, she was more curious about our family than before, which was alarming. According to Jasper, she was perfectly at ease in this house, although she was feeling suspicious.

That suspicion was what Rosalie considered a death sentence.

_This girl… this utter moron… she's a hazard. A danger. What the hell was Alice thinking when she invited the freak over?!_

I couldn't help it; I let out a low growl. It was too low for any vampire, let alone a human, not in the room to hear, but loud enough for Rosalie to know it was time to shut up. Instead of shutting up, though, she turned her glare onto me.

_This is another thing I don't freaking understand, Edward. Why do you care about that pathetic human so much? What is it that makes her so… important? Sure, she probably has something to do with the lockdown a few days ago. Her friend might've been kidnapped. So. What?_

The only thing that kept me from downright snarling at her was the fact that Esme decided that this was the perfect time to show Bella around the house, starting with the living room.

"This," Esme gestured to the living area, "Is the living room. We probably have at least one copy of every single video game known to man, thanks to the boys. Notably Emmett." She shook her head, smiling.

Emmett threw Bella a big grin. "I bet you can't beat me in even one of them," he taunted her, taking note of the fact that she didn't look like the video game type.

"What game?" She asked, eyebrows raised. Esme sighed.

"I guess this is where the tour ends," she said. Turning to Bella, she added, "When you're done playing… video games, Edward can show you around the rest of the house."

I stiffened.

I didn't even need to ask why before Carlisle started answering Esme's actions in his thoughts.

_You two need to clear things up, Edward. It's best if she has at least the illusion that the two of you are alone. By what you said, she definitely knows_ _that you saw her… exit the classroom. And I think it'll help if we know what exactly happened that day. You remember how the police station responded, don't you? They said that according to the school records, there has never been a "Gemma Marketta" or even a "Gemma Fischer" enrolled in Forks High School. It's exactly what happens every time _we _move…_

**…**

_Edward… now's when you offer to show her around the rest of the house,_ Esme reminded me.

Great.

Emmett was fuming right now, furious that he'd lost to a girl. Five times. Bella was getting up from the floor, a smile on her face from winning.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up from the sofa and cleared my throat. She turned to look back at me. "If that's the end of the five-game match you had… would like to see the rest of the house?" I heard her heart skip a beat, though I didn't know why. _Damn my stupid mindreading… it doesn't even work when I need it to!_

"Sure," she replied evenly, betraying none of the nervousness that Jasper felt coming from her. So she was good at keep up a calm image…

I led the way around the house, stopping every once in a while to point out a few rooms here and there. I didn't think too much about how her eyes rested a few seconds too long on every room to just be admiring the house. I don't think she even realized that I noticed her looking.

Skipping past showing her the inside of Alice and Jasper's room, saying that she would know how that looked soon enough, and Rosalie and Emmett's room, saying that Rosalie would probably kill me if I opened the door, I stopped in front of my own room. "And this," I said, bringing the tour to an end, "Is my room."

I opened the door enough to let her see the inside. I didn't expect her eyes to snap open in surprise after just a second. "You don't have a bed in here!" she said, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She looked up at me, perplexed.

"I… usually sleep in the basement," I lied, running a hand through my hair. Time to get a new bed in the basement. "I like my room to be open and spacious, without being crowded by a bed…" She nodded her head, understanding; that was my cue to stop rambling.

I heard Emmett's laughter from downstairs about me not having a bed before Rosalie smacked him on the head. Thankfully, I don't think Bella heard any of that.

Alice, though, chose that moment to enter the scene.

"Hey, Bella," she said, shooting me a pointed look to get out of sight. I obeyed immediately, not eager to go up against Alice. I tried tuning out their conversation as I reached the bottom of the staircase, wanting to give Bella the privacy.

I noticed that Emmett had gone downstairs to the basement with Rosalie. I tried to ignore their thoughts, too, but it was more for my sanity than their privacy.

"Edward?" Jasper called out almost silently from across the living room, successfully distracting me from what was happening downstairs. I looked up, signaling that I was listening. "Bella… she isn't normal."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my curiosity spiked. He was leaning forward in the sofa, focusing intently on the TV screen. I realized that he was looking through the Xbox settings menu.

"The game that her and Emmett played? She didn't win five times in a row because she was good at it," he answered slowly, flipping through the options. As I approached him, I realized that the options were different; the settings had changed.

"She hacked it." The TV screen blacked out for a few seconds before the Xbox 360 logo came up again. "And not just the game," he continued, staring at the screen with wide eyes. "The Xbox 360 software itself."

"How…" I started, but Jasper cut me off, his voice full of disbelief.

"I just restarted it, and the hack disappeared. It's as if nothing ever happened! But…" he paused, checking the leaderboards for the game. "The high score is still there," he confirmed. He looked to me for a second before returning his gaze to the screen, his eyes full of questions.

"I don't know how she did it. I just don't know. The only time she had contact with any electronic device that would've made this at least _somewhat_ possible was when she checked her email, but that was just on her phone."

"So you're suggesting that she hacked into the Xbox with her phone? That an _iPhone_ can be used to hack into a game system?" I asked incredulously. Jasper just shrugged.

"I don't know, Edward. But there's definitely _something_ odd about her. Something's just not right."

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

* * *

**I'm sorry for the terribly late update... Oh my gosh, it's been almost a month! But I was in a... a situation. You guys _have_ heard of what happened in Boston, right? Well... I have family there. So I just couldn't find the time or the motivation to update right after that... but I'm back now! And I promise I won't be gone like that again. :)**

**By the way, in honor of the first person who caused the tragedy in Boston getting killed by the police (gosh, that sounds so mean) I did start writing a story that Friday and posted it up soon after; it's called _Love at First Fight_. It's my first all human fanfic... tell me what you think of it?**

**And review, review, review!**

**-Soni :)**

* * *

_**This Chapter is Dedicated to:**_

_**kunfupandalover**_

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_**Doclover**_

_**penny. bear. 37**_

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_**SnowboardingQueen**_

_**Lionnara**_

_**coolgle**_

_**46 Husbands Later**_

_**blacklengend99**_

_**Scarlet's Name**_

_**twilightgirls2001**_

_**Guest (Guest)**_

_**Guest (Guest)**_

**Love you guys all! Thank you for putting up with me and my erratic updates...**


	19. Shopping Plans and Phone Calls

**Chapter 18: Shopping Plans and Phone Calls**

**August 24, 2012: Cullen Residence, Alice's Bedroom**

* * *

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

―Albert Einstein

* * *

"This is it, Alice. I'm done. No more."

"But―"

"No."

"Bella―"

"Don't you _dare_ come any closer with that hair curler!"

Alice huffed, setting down the curler reluctantly.

"Fine," she said grudgingly, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. "I guess that's enough of that."

I let out a sigh of relief. I was just about to say 'thank you' when Alice jumped up, grinning.

"Wait here just one second, Bella. I'll be _right _back. I have the _perfect_ outfit to go with your nails…"

I rolled my eyes as she dashed into her closet.

I was trying not to dwell on just how many clothes there seemed to be in her "closet" (better known as a department store) when my phone started vibrating on her dressing table. Grabbing it, I barely gave the caller ID a glance before answering.

"Hello?"

"Bella?" I heard a frantic voice on the other end. I frowned as I quickly checked who it was. Rylee.

"What?" I asked, my tone brusque. I didn't want to deal with any of this right now. What could possibly make them want to call me after―

"_They_ have him," she whispered quickly. I stopped breathing. "They have Austin."

"How?" I tried to keep my voice steady. My eyes glanced toward the closet door, hoping Alice wouldn't appear yet. Thankfully, I could still hear the rustling of clothes.

"I don't know! He just went to play basketball outside to deal with everything, you know? I was doing homework to get my mind off of, well, Gemma… Derek and Genevieve were out getting food… Tara and Jace were both in their own rooms… next thing I know, car tires are screeching outside and… and there was a gunshot… it was just an hour ago!"

"An _hour_ ago? And _now_ you tell me?"

"I didn't think you really cared anymore, Bella," I heard her say softly. She kept going before I could protest. "And you can't really blame us for thinking that. But we also had to make sure that it was actually _them_ and not just a 'normal' kidnapper."

"Oh…" I really didn't know what else to say before Alice walked out of the closet, various clothes in hand. "Hey, how about I call you back later?"

"Bella, this is serious―"

"Thanks for understanding! Bye!" I ended the call and let my phone drop onto my lap, trying to maintain a cool façade while inside, my heart rate was probably soaring.

This wasn't their style. They don't… they've never come this _close_ before. And they certainly have _never_ resorted to extreme measures like kidnapping actual agents. Now they had two of them―Gemma _and_ Austin.

Alice didn't seem to notice that I had just been on the phone.

"Okay, so I found a few things that you might like here…"

"Alice, really, it's fine! I don't think you need to lend me your clothes just so that―"

"You're a genius!" she said suddenly, dropping the Guess shirt that she had been holding. "We should go shopping!"

"That's not what I meant―"

"One minute, I'll try to convince Edward to drop us off!" She skipped out of the room, a huge smile on her face. I mentally slapped myself. If only I had just gone with it instead of complaining…

I almost jumped when my phone buzzed again on my lap. It was a call… from a blocked number.

It could only be _him_.

After a moment's hesitation, I answered. "…Hello?"

"Isabella."

Yep. I was right.

"It seems," he continued, "that you've been notified of your friend's… mysterious disappearance." He chuckled. "I suppose you want to know if he's alive?"

"He better be," I said lowly.

"Oh dear, is that a threat?" My hands clenched into fists. "You know I don't respond well to threats…"

I stayed silent. He couldn't just _kill_ Austin…

"Anyhow," he said, "I should be getting to the point. The reason I called is actually really simple. The agent in Russia, well, she has been facing some… difficulties… with security concerning the package."

"Security?" I blurted. "What do you mean, security? Doesn't she already have the damn package?" I vaguely noted that the agent was a _she_.

"Not quite," he replied. I was mildly relieved that he didn't pay attention to how I interrupted him. "As a result of this complication, some of my plans will have to be… postponed."

My breathing quickened. Did that mean I had more time?

"But your deadline will remain the same."

I slouched back in my chair, my hopes deflated. "But you said that this would complicate things…"

"And that is why I called. You will meet someone―one of your previous partners, in fact―in Seattle. You are residing near Seattle, I take it?" he asked rhetorically.

Of course he knew, I thought, my heart sinking. He'll always know where I am as long as the tracker is in me.

"She'll be at Westfield Southcenter Mall in Tukwila―"

_Tukwila. Suburb, 10.9 miles from Seattle. Approximate population: 19, 486. Approximate land area: 9.1 square miles. Current Mayor: Jim Haggerton._

"―tonight. I do hope you can make it." I could practically see his smile as he hung up.

I slowly lowered my phone, thinking. This definitely wasn't Zach that he was talking about―obviously.

I had a vague feeling that I knew who it was going to be. And this person… next to Zach, she was the one who knew me best. But she wasn't like Zach, who was an expert in planning out _major_ heists like bank robberies, museum raids, etc. This person had grown up on the streets, having been abandoned at a young age, and was an expert in… smaller crimes. Pickpocketing. Shoplifting. Hacking. Every detail that I knew about spur of the moment thieving came from her. She had taught me everything.

And this person… I hadn't had any contact with her since I joined MI6.

**…**

"Tell me again, Alice―why exactly _did_ I agree to drive you two to Seattle?" Edward asked, rolling his eyes.

"Because you love me! I mean, I _am_ the nicest little sister you have…"

"You're the _only_ little sister I have," Edward sighed.

I kept up my act of staring out the passenger side window as to avoid any form of a conversation. Edward had insisted I ride shotgun, saying that a three and a half hour drive with Alice in the front seat would be unbearable.

And so that's how Alice came to be stuck in the back seat while I sat in the front.

"Alice?" I asked, "Why are we going all the way to Seattle instead of just heading to Port Angeles?" Not that I'm complaining, of course…

"Port Angeles has next to nothing, even though it is better than Forks. Seattle is, like, the only decent place anywhere near here!" she answered as if it was the most logical answer possible.

"So a three and a half hour drive to Seattle is better than an hour and forty minutes drive to Port Angeles?" Edward cut in.

"Of course!" Alice replied, a smile on her face. "I can already see all the stores we'll shop at…"

I groaned, closing my eyes and resting my head against the window. Edward threw me an apologetic glance.

After a few minutes of staring out the window, I became aware that Edward and Alice hadn't bothered me yet. Usually, after a few seconds of silence, they would take an attempt at another conversation. But this time, they had remained unnaturally quiet.

I shifted my head slightly to try to see them from the corner of my eye.

Edward was still facing forward, but his eyes were trained on the rearview mirror. He had an eyebrow raised and was tilting his head.

Turning my eyes to the side-view mirror, I noticed that Alice was shrugging, shaking her head as she did so. Almost as if… as if they were having a conversation.

Without saying anything aloud, and with minimal gestures.

That observation had me puzzled for the rest of the drive to Seattle.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

* * *

**I'm still alive! Yay! Updates will be kinda sorta more frequent now that school's almost out. Next Tuesday is my last day! And there's no school on Monday due to Memorial Day... and since I'm updating this today―which is a Thursday―that would mean... OMG I HAVE ONE DAY LEFT OF SCHOOL! After this Friday... I'm free! :O**

**Review! I love hearing what you guys think about this... seriously, I am amazed at the amazing response. Like, literally. :P**

**-Soni**

* * *

_**This Chapter is Dedicated to:**_

_**SnowboardingQueen**_

_**46 Husbands Later [Oh no. Now I'm scared :P]**_

_**TARDIS-follower**_

_**kunfupandalover**_

_**twilightgirls2001**_

_**coolgle [I know, security has become a myth.]**_

_**Lionnara**_

_**blacklengend99**_

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_**Scarlet's Name**_

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_**BeachGirl98**_

_**Guest (Guest)**_

_**[Thank you so much! All of you! Your reviews centered around the fact that this was getting kinda freaky, but the thing is, you actually **_**can _hack a lot of things with a jailbroken iPhone... Doesn't that, like, drastically increase your trust in 'security'?]_**


	20. Pickpockets

**Chapter 19: Pickpockets**

**August 24, 2012: Tukwila, Washington**

* * *

"Pickpockets are some of the smartest uneducated people around."

―Randy Stoever, head of NYPD's pickpocket squad

* * *

**(A/N: I have never been to either Northgate shopping mall or Westfield Southcenter shopping mall, so I have no idea whatsoever what they're actually like. Any information **_**about**_** the malls from Alice's perspective is just from reviews online by customers, and the street names are from Google Earth and Google Maps. The actual layout of the mall―when Bella and Alice are shopping―is based on the Woodfield Mall here near Chicago since that's the mall that **_**I**_** have memorized. *chuckle* I don't mean to say anything bad about either Northgate or Westfield Southcenter. Remember: this is **_**just**_** a story.)**

* * *

I lazily gazed at the buildings we were driving past―exactly what I'd been doing for the past few hours―when a street sign caught my eye.

_Strander Blvd._

"Alice…?" I called slowly, raising my head to fully take in where we were.

"Yes, Bella?"

"Why are we on Strander Boulevard? Isn't that in Tukwila? Not Seattle?"

I thought I saw Edward stifle a smile.

"Yeah… I hope you don't mind. I just thought that the mall here―Westfield Southcenter―was better than Northgate. They have many of the upscale stores here, like Macy's, Nordstrom, JCPenny, and Sears―same as there. But the Nordstrom at Northgate just doesn't carry much." She shrugged.

"Whatever you say, Alice," I replied. This was convenient…

**…**

If things were running this perfectly, something was _bound_ to happen and screw everything up. It just felt so… unnatural. Everything was working out so smoothly, and with the events that had taken place recently, I had thought that the world was against me. This was the polar opposite of what I had expected.

The moment we stepped through the double doors of the entrance to Macy's, my eyes were already scanning the immediate area for any sign of her. I barely registered Alice calling my name until she tugged at my arm.

"Bella?" she said, eyeing me up and down. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Fine is a relative word."

"I'm okay."

Alice rolled her eyes.

"Alright, so here's the plan: Edward won't be shopping with us―naturally―so he'll be heading to wherever―"

"The Apple Store," Edward put in, shaking his head at Alice's brusqueness.

"―To the Apple Store," Alice amended, shooting Edward a glare, "to browse. We'll meet him in the entrance of Olive Garden at eight thirty for dinner. That'll give us about an hour to shop before we have to meet him there," she finished, grinning.

Edward rolled his eyes as he walked off. I vaguely noted that people were staring at us―especially the girls, who were essentially memorizing every step that Edward took.

Alice and I were browsing through the racks of Calvin Klein when my phone went off. I glanced apologetically at Alice when she looked up. (Although… she was a few rows away, and my phone was on vibrate. How did she hear it?)

"Sorry Alice, I have to take this. Back in a sec," I said quickly before turning toward the double doors near the entrance. One glance at the caller ID, though, and my lazy walk toward the doors turned into an almost-sprint.

It was a number I recognized.

I didn't even have to say 'hello' when I answered the phone; she was already speaking on the other end.

"Store?"

"Macy's."

A pause.

"Restroom. I'll be there in two minutes."

End call.

I let out a sigh as I put my phone back in my pocket. I was sure that Alice wouldn't mind if I took just a few minutes longer before returning…

**...**

After asking the lady at the checkout counter where the restrooms were, I was slowly making my way there when I felt someone bump my shoulder.

"Sorry, miss," was all that the lady managed to say before she was already making her way past me. I didn't even get to say 'It's fine' before she disappeared.

I was about to keep going when a part of me, a small voice at the back of my mind, urged me to replay what just happened. I considered brushing it off… but then gave in, thinking, "What's a few extra seconds going to do?"

_Lady walks into me, bumping my shoulder._

_Mutters an apology and hurries off._

Nothing seemed odd. But I had a nagging feeling that I should look at the scene more closely…

_Lady walks into me and bumps into my shoulder._

Something about that observation was bothering me. I had to take another few steps before it clicked.

She bumped into me. The aisle was wide enough for even three people to walk side by side without brushing hands.

_Mutters an apology and hurries off._

She was apologizing. That was understandable. But if she had done nothing… _wrong_… why would she have run off so quickly?

And then what had just happened became glaringly obvious.

"Aria?" I called out, my hand instinctively reaching to my now empty pocket. "I still need that phone."

I heard chuckling behind me. "Boy, Isabella, you sure have gotten a lot slower, haven't you?" She stepped out from behind the rows of clothes she had just disappeared into. "I thought spy agencies were supposed to develop your skills, not erase them." She smirked.

"Phone?" I asked stiffly.

She rolled her eyes, reaching into her back pocket. "Chill, Izzy―"

"Bella," I corrected reflexively. Her eyes shot to mine questioningly as she tossed my phone back. "It's just… in Forks…" I tried to explain. "I prefer Bella."

"Fine. _Bella_," she stressed, her grin growing wider. She found it funny how well I adapt to my cover. "It was a joke. Although, I'm honestly beginning to doubt if you still have what it takes to work beside _me_." Aria raised her eyebrows.

This was what she always did. Every time someone new gets assigned to work with her, she meets them a few days prior to test if they were, as she put it, "worthy" of being her partner. I used to be one of the few she stopped testing after a while… but now that it's been a few years, she seemed to be having a bit too much fun deciding what kind of illegal thing I had to do now to "prove myself".

Not that doing illegal things was a new concept or anything…

"I came here with some friends, though," I said, trying to look natural as I said _friends_. "One of them is probably wondering if I'd gotten lost or something by now…"

Aria sighed. "So they don't know that you already have the Seattle area practically memorized?"

"I don't have _all_ of it memorized…" I said slowly. She shot me a look. "Just most of it."

She shook her head. "Anyway, I know the _perfect_ activity that will surely breathe some excitement into this boring mall…" she said softly, a mischievous look on her face as she casually looked both ways and beckoned me to come closer.

_This_ will make for an interesting news story, I thought, still smiling.

Now I just had to magically become a better actress and make sure Alice and Edward see nothing unusual.

**…**

"Where. Have. You. Been."

I grimaced internally as I neared Alice. _Now is the _perfect _time to magically become a better actress, stupid!_

"I am _so_ sorry, Alice. I really didn't think it would take this long… my dad called to make sure I was doing okay, and after I hung up, there were just so many pretty clothes…"

She rolled her eyes. "It's fine," she said, getting up. "I was just worried, you know? You mentioned that you don't go shopping a lot, and this _is_ a big-ish mall…"

"Big-ish?" My eyes widened in false surprise. "This mall is _huge_, Alice!"

Alice laughed good-naturedly. "There are bigger malls than this out there, Bella. And you should really go shopping more. You won't get intimidated by the sight of that many clothes any more," she said playfully. Relief washed over me.

I had successfully distracted Alice… for now.

**…**

"How about… JCPenny? We haven't gone there yet."

"Alice…"

"Please, Bella? Please, please, please, _please_―"

"Alright, fine! But let's take the long way, through the center of the mall. Then we can see if there are any other stores along the way."

"Yay! See? I _knew_ that you wouldn't be able to resist shopping, Bella… It' so much fun!"

_Neutral, Bella. Keep your expression neutral. Don't make it clear how much you hate this._

_And watch for Aria._

Walking out of Macy's―me empty-handed while Alice had three shopping bags already―I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Aria doing the same (minus the shopping bags) some twenty feet behind us.

Then she turned to the right, away from us, and started toward the escalator going down to the first floor. While heading there, she glanced nonchalantly at a young man who was standing near the escalator railing. By the looks of it, he needed to go to the first floor as well; he just seemed to be waiting for someone.

The mark had been selected.

Alice, as only she could do, continued talking about various designers and the latest fashions this season. I pretended to be listening as I briefly made eye contact with Aria, who was now sitting on one of the benches next to the escalator. People walking past saw a teenage girl checking her phone, paying no attention to the world around her. I saw an impatient teenage girl daring me to screw this up.

"How about we go this way?" I asked Alice, steering her toward the escalators. I saw the man getting on the escalator with another lady. (His wife, maybe?)

Perfect timing was key to this technique. When I had first learned it from Aria, who had been doing this move since she was about thirteen (with any partner she found, and they would split the money afterwards), I had thought it would be impossible to time it this exactly.

Turned out, it wasn't impossible. It was just about as close to impossible as you could get.

"What's the rush, Bella?" Alice asked me as we stepped onto the escalator a few seconds after the man. "We still have a while before we have to meet Edward."

"Just hyper. The mall is getting to me," I said, a second too late to be considered natural. I hope she didn't notice. I had just been trying to figure out where the man kept his wallet. Thankfully, this one was easy―he had just put away his credit card, and was now tucking his wallet into his back pocket.

Bad move on his part.

I waited till we were about a third of the way down… and then the acting began.

"Hey, Alice…" I started before I purposefully tripped over nothing. "Whoa!" I fake-fell forward a few steps, bumping into the man and, with the hand that was not gripping onto the escalator railing, effectively nudged the wallet halfway out of his pocket.

Rule #3: Distraction is the key to everything.

Just as in a magic show, the major method at work here is distraction. Human beings usually focus their attention on one thing. If you give them something interesting to focus on, they won't pay much attention to their money and valuables.

The interesting thing in this case was my "clumsiness".

"I am so, so sorry," I said, pretending to regain my balance. The way this man reacted would determine if this was going to happen the hard way or the easy way.

The man just shook his head. "It's fine, miss. Are you okay though?"

This was too easy. Usually people get rather irritated when someone almost pushes them down an escalator.

"Yes, I'm fine. But I am just _so_ sorry…"

"Accidents happen," he said, brushing it off with a smile. "Just be glad it wasn't too serious."

I nodded, half of me happy that this was so simple and the other half of me sad that I was doing this to such a nice person, and turned back to face Alice, who looked like she couldn't decide if she should be asking if I was okay or laughing hysterically.

She chose something in the middle. "Are you," she managed between laughs, "Okay?" She resumed her laughter before I could reply.

I just rolled my eyes at her, too focused on what I had to do now. We were reaching the bottom.

"Excuse me," I muttered as I brushed against the man again in what would appear to be an attempt to get off the escalator quickly. Naturally, since this was a mall, he didn't pay me much attention.

Or his wallet.

In the span of a second, I had surreptitiously snatched the wallet out of his back pocket and tossed it back to Aria, who caught it without even glancing up. She then tucked it into her purse along with her phone, making it seem like she had just been putting her phone away and not stowing away a stolen wallet.

Rule #4: Never have any evidence on you.

If the mark ever does realize that something of his is missing and turns on you, he will never find anything with you since you don't have it. It's why I, as well as Aria, prefer to work in teams when on missions.

"So what store are we going to again, Alice?" I asked, turning to her. She immediately snapped her attention to me, but not before I had noticed that she had looked… out of it. Her eyes had been glazed over, as if she wasn't here mentally.

But she recovered quickly, and in the next second, I was wondering if I had just imagined it. "JCPenny, right?" She asked, smiling.

"Right," I replied, smiling back. Not because we were going to JCPenny (who would smile at more shopping?) but because another person had caught my eye―a lady, probably in her late twenties or early thirties, sitting on a ledge next to the fountain. Her purse was lying next to her, and she wasn't holding onto even one of the straps; she seemed too engrossed in her magazine.

And Aria had just taken a seat next to her.

Mark number two had been selected.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

* * *

**... What do you think? Good or bad? Or terrible? I just hope you guys like that it's a little longer than usual...**

**-Sonia**

* * *

_**This Chapter is Dedicated to:**_

_**kunfupandalover**_

_**penny. bear. 37**_

_**twilightgirls2001**_

_**46 Husbands Later [Yay! I updated!]**_

_**blacklengend99**_

_**ukrainianelfhorse**_

_**coolgle**_

_**Scarllete**_

_**Doclover**_

_**SashaNatashaLOL (Guest)**_

_**TTYLXOX (Guest)**_

_**Littledreamtodance**_

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_**Guest (Guest)**_

_**HiyiChiyi (Guest)**_

_**random. stranger (Guest)**_


	21. This, My Friends, Is Serious

**Please, I don't care if you absolutely hate A/Ns and despise them with every fiber of your being, but this is serious.**

**Read it.**

…

I'll take this down a few days after I post the next chapter, so probably in about… I don't know, a week? Two at the most…

Anyway, this is to address some… reviews I've gotten. And this was just a half an hour-ish ago.

I'm just being me, you know, and I have no life so I'm home alone watching funny YouTube videos (I'm kidding about the no life part… I think) and my phone suddenly starts vibrating like crazy. So I get up (ugh, so much work) and check what's up… and it's about thirty new emails saying "New Review for Alone".

Even though I'm pretty weirded out (I mean seriously, thirty reviews in about two minutes? What the heck?) I'm kinda curious to see what they were about.

I open up the first one. And this was the message: **go kill urself**

I just stare at that for a few seconds before shaking my head and opening the next one. This was the message: **y are u even bothring to rite this sh**** (But it actually said the word. I'm sorry, I just don't want to offend anyone who doesn't like swears…)

Now I'm pretty sure I know what the thirty plus guest reviews are about, but I go through them all anyway. Why? Because I'm stupid. I just _had _to know what this random person/people thought.

Third message: **ur story sucks**

Fourth message: **go 2 he** **(Again, it actually said the swear.)

Fifth message: **just stop riting ur just so f***ing stupid for evn thinkng of this f***ing stry what the he** were u thinkin **(It actually said the words. And this wasn't even the worst. Not by a _long_ shot.)

And so on. (I'm not going to post the worst. They would probably offend… various people.)

Until I get to an actually readable review, which I don't know if it's from the same person/people who sent all those other ones, but like I said, I don't know. You can see it on the reviews page if you want, but I'm going to type it out here too. Since this one actually made sense and criticized the story, not me, I let it through. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't allow criticism to get through because everyone has an opinion.

So the readable review said this:

**Your story would be good if it stayed on track! Her friends has been kidnapped by 'them' btw really annoying. And she at a dumb party!? Plus her deadline is getting closer and closer. But nope she to busy having flashbacks. Bella would be dead in five years if you thought how you made her character through. Pit pocketing people? [He or she probably meant pickpocketing.] Really why? Oldest trick in the book. She needs to stop playing. And get her ** to where she needs to be. Bella is an idiot. You may need to think this story over.**

… Yeah.

If you want me to be completely honest, that hurt. It hurt a lot. But I needed to know that, if that's what people thought about this…

To answer this guest reviewer's questions, since he or she _is_ a guest, in my mind I had this story planned out over many more chapters.

And the _them_ part I keep italicizing? It's not because I don't want to say the organization's name or anything – it's because I don't know what to _call_ the organization yet. (Hey, I'm being honest.)

The part of her "getting her ** where she needs to be"? Yeah, that'll come up. In due time. But for right now, I'm trying to develop her relationships with the Cullens. (Since that's what many reviewers before were asking about. Multiple reviews and PMs about "When will the Cullens get involved?" were not uncommon.)

And now my questions to all of you others who are reading this:

What do you really think? Like, _really_? And don't lie and say "oh, your story's fine" or "ignore them". Be honest. I'm pretty sure that it won't shock me anymore…

What do you think I should change about this? Tell me your complete, honest opinion, and I swear, I'll try my best. Really. I just… I don't know.

I really don't.

I'm just… a normal (maybe a little Twilight-obsessed) girl who found fanfiction one day, said "Why not?" and decided to give it a shot. I'm not a professional – not even close. You guys can't expect me to be perfect like that. And I don't know how to handle criticism (unfortunately), but I'm pretty sure that ignoring it isn't the right way.

Please, if you even bothered to read this far… I don't know what to do. I know I'll update if you guys want me to (I'd never leave something unfinished), but if you all agree that I should just… stop… then I'll just post a summary of what's going to happen in the end so you won't have to bother reading any more of this "sh**".

Sorry for getting your hopes up and making you think this was an actual chapter. You don't know how sorry I am.

- Sonia (No smiley face this time.)


	22. Ignorance Can Sometimes Be Bliss

**I have a question for you guys regarding the next chapter right after the disclaimer... could you please answer it when you're done reading? Thanks :)**

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**Chapter 20: Ignorance Can Sometimes Be Bliss**

**August 24, 2012: Drive back to Forks, Washington**

* * *

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."

― Marcus Aurelius

* * *

**APOV (Alice POV) **

_She's asleep_, I thought. _We can talk now, but softly._

It had been an two hours since we started driving back to Forks, and about five minutes since Bella finally fell asleep.

Edward glanced at Bella for a second before turning his attention back to the road. "Over forty people, Alice." He met my eyes in the rearview mirror. "_Forty_. All of them reported that something of value was missing from them. _T__oday_."

"But… how could she have done it?"

"I don't know! You were the one with her―"

"And I got the vision at the last possible second. There was no way I could've stopped it because a normal human wouldn't have been able to notice her stealing the man's wallet. And she _knew_ that a normal person wouldn't have been able to see her; that's why she didn't even hesitate. Her heart rate picked up, but only marginally."

"You said she tossed it to another person?"

"A girl. Like I said, I got the vision mere _moments_ before it happened."

"So you're saying that this was either spur of the moment or completely instinctive, not cognitive?"

"… Yes."

Edward sighed. "But how could she have robbed _forty_ people like that? That would be…"

"Impossible?" I finished. "Yeah, it would be. But I can't say; I only saw the first one."

A few seconds passed in a somewhat comfortable silence as we both thought over what could've happened today at the mall. The only sound was Bella's soft breathing.

"Do you really think it was just her though?" Edward asked again. I could tell that it was frustrating him that he couldn't read her mind.

It would be helpful if he could.

"I don't know, Edward… but I doubt it. There _was_ another girl helping her. There could've been more than just them, right?"

"Right." He didn't sound entirely convinced, though. Just like me.

_But could she have done it? _I thought to myself. I knew that Edward was listening. _And I know that you're about to say "But Alice, how could anyone steal from over forty people in one day?" And the answer is… I don't know._

"We've been saying that a lot lately," Edward said, forcing a laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood.

No need to mention that this would most definitely make headline news tomorrow.

"There's a lot we don't know," I agreed, trying to force a smile. "Did you and Jasper figure anything out about the Xbox thing yet?" I asked.

Edward shook his head. "Jasper is beginning to doubt that it was even her. He's starting to think that maybe it was just a glitch in the system."

"We all know that that was no glitch," I shot back.

"I know," he muttered. "But what other explanation is there?"

_I don't know._

After a few seconds, Edward spoke up, this time with a surprising fact. "Did you know that Charlie's not Bella's biological father?"

"No, I didn't," I said, perplexed.

"He's her foster parent."

That was one thing I didn't see coming.

"What about her real parents? What happened to them?" I was too curious to bother looking through the future for the answers.

"According to Charlie's thoughts, they both died when she was a little more than five, back in 2000. June, I think. I don't know _how_ they died," Edward added, knowing where my thoughts were. "I don't think Charlie wanted to think about that…"

"Do you think it was bad?" I whispered, suddenly feeling very bad for Bella. I couldn't even imagine how she must've felt. She had been only five years old when she had lost _both_ her parents…

"I would think so," Edward said carefully. "He started to think of it, but then he just cleared his mind, preferring to think about what kind of pizza he would order that night instead."

"She stayed with Charlie and Renee the next three years," Edward continued. "But then her ninth birthday hit…"

"That was the night she was kidnapped, right?" He nodded. "I still can't understand how someone was able to snatch her right out of her room…" I trailed off.

"And Charlie and Renee were just downstairs in the living room, watching TV."

"Didn't they hear something?"

"They heard the window shatter and Bella scream, but by the time they got upstairs she was gone. The mental image of her room that Charlie has still disturbs me," Edward said, glancing at Bella again. "Broken glass everywhere, blood on the floor, and the curtains swaying form the breeze coming through the open window…" Edward closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Even though I didn't see it first-hand, or in Edward's case, in the mind of the person who did see it first-hand, just the description of that night had shivers running down my spine. And they weren't the good kind.

"I'm pretty sure it haunts him every day," he continued, "Because his mind flashes back to that same memory every time he sees Bella."

Another few seconds passed in silence before a thought occurred to me. Edward, hearing it in my mind, answered it out loud.

"No, Charlie doesn't know anything about this… pickpocketing thing. And if he did… well, he's doing a great job blocking his thoughts."

This time I laughed. Charlie wouldn't even know to block his thoughts. He wouldn't know to worry about a mindreading vampire hearing his every thought.

Again, I was struck with the thought of how much easier everything would've been if Edward had been able to read Bella's thoughts. We wouldn't be repeatedly replaying the past few hours in our heads trying to figure out what _really_ happened today at Westfield Southcenter Mall.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

* * *

**IMPORTANT QUESTION: Do you want the next chapter to be a flashback of how Bella's real parents died, or do you want it to jump straight to when Bella gets home? Because the flashback will be what she's dreaming about while she's sleeping... and it's 8 freaking pages long in Word! This chapter, by contrast, was only five. The flashback will end up being its own chapter eventually, but do you want it to be now or later?**

* * *

**Thank you all _so_ much for... everything. Seriously, I can't express in words how thankful I am to have awesome people like all of you here for me. Just... imagine that I'm giving you a big hug while smiling like an idiot. *hug* That's how thankful I am.**

**And thank you to the people who also said that I could improve a few things... I'll try :) And now that you guys know (Bella doesn't) that Alice had seen what happened, you can bet that Alice and Edward will be keeping their eyes open for more... abnormalities (ugh, such a big word) in Bella's behavior.**

**I know this chapter was short, but half way through the original Chapter 20 (which will prob****a****bly be Chapter 21 and is titled "Sleeplessness is Contagious") I really felt the need to have an Alice or Edward POV in there. And I just chose Alice because, well, who doesn't like a bubbly, future-seeing pixie telling the story from her perspective? :P**

**- Sonia :)**


	23. One Day Can Literally Change Everything

**If you don't understand part of the flashback, read the little section right under the disclaimer. If there's something else you need clarified, review or PM, and if you're a guest I'll answer it in the next chapter's A/N.**

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**Chapter 21: One Day Can Literally Change Everything**

**August 24, 2012: Drive back to Forks, Washington**

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"When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago."

―Friedrich Nietzsche

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I don't know when I fell asleep. But sometime during the car ride back to the Cullen house, my eyes drifted closed of their own accord.

Too tired from all the shopping Alice had made me do, I didn't even bother trying to stay awake before I slipped into a semi-deep sleep. That was the closest I would ever get to a 'normal' night of sleep.

It had been a while… I didn't know… I didn't think that I would actually end up dreaming about it again.

**…**

"_Morning, mommy!" I said, jumping off the last step of the stairs and running into her open arms._

"_Good morning, Bells!" She smiled into my hair, planting a kiss on my head. "What do you want for breakfast?"_

"_I get to choose?" I asked in shock, my eyes wide._

_Mommy laughed. "You woke up early didn't you?" I nodded. "Then you deserve to choose what you want for breakfast," she declared, smiling._

_A grin slowly formed on my face. "Can I have…" I paused, thinking. "French toast?"_

"_Of course! It'll be ready in a few minutes, 'kay?" _

"_And chocolate? And marshmallows? And cookies―"_

"_You have school today, Bella. Maybe tomorrow. Or… I'll pack some cookies for your lunch, okay?"_

"_Okay!" I squealed. My mom laughed at my excitement._

_**…**_

"_Hey there, Bella Bear!" Daddy said, picking me up and setting me on his lap. He grabbed his coffee from the coffee carefully as he turned to look at me. "How was school?"_

"_It was really good!" He smiled at my enthusiasm. Mommy entered the room, sitting on the sofa across from us to listen._

"_What did you do today? Did you make any new friends?"_

"_Yes!"_

"_What's her name?" he asked, taking a sip from his coffee._

"_**His**__ name is Jacob. It's a boy, Daddy."_

_Mommy started laughing at the expression on Daddy's face._

**…**

My level of consciousness shifted, and I'm pretty sure that I'm now in a half-awake state. My best guess was that I'd been woken up by the voices in the car. I only caught snippets of the conversation, though.

Was it even possible for people to speak that softly and quickly?

"…Just a glitch in the system." That was Edward.

"We all know that was no glitch." And that was Alice, obviously.

"I know. But what other explanation is there?"

I had a vague feeling that I should've know what they were talking about, but it could've been about anything. Glitches were common in many things, like security systems (thankfully). But maybe it was about…

Sleep overtook me again before I could even comprehend the beginning of the thought.

**…**

"_Alright, Bella, I have to go to work again. One of the customers claims that she had this one necklace on hold, but we just sold it a few days ago." Mommy shook her head, sighing._

"_Back to work, Marissa?" Daddy asked. He came up to my mom and kissed her. On the mouth._

"_Ewww!" I shrieked, slapping my hands over my eyes and turning away. "Gross!"_

_I couldn't help but smile when I heard their laughter._

_**…**_

"_What?!" I heard my dad shout from upstairs. I shrugged it off; he always shouted when he was on the phone. I think the people at his work got him mad, sometimes._

_But I knew something was different this time when he ran down the stairs, his expression worried, and grabbed the car keys before pausing. _

"_Bella?" he called suddenly. "Can you come here?"_

_I got off the couch and met him by the garage door. He knelt down to my height before speaking. "We… Daddy needs to go somewhere right now, but I can't leave you home alone. Can you come with me?"_

"_Okay…" I said slowly, trying to understand the look in his eyes. Something was wrong. Very wrong._

_**…**_

_I heard the piercing cry of the sirens before I saw the flashing lights. _

"_Daddy, what's going on?" I could hear my own voice wavering. The sounds, the lights, the people… they weren't supposed to be here. _

_This was the jewelry store where my mom worked. _

_My dad, though, obviously knew why the sirens and lights were there. What wasn't he telling me?_

_I felt myself falling forward for a second as my dad hit the brakes before the seat belt effectively caught me. The car skidded to a sudden stop as he jumped out. _

"_I'll be right back, Bells. Okay?" _

_I could hear the raw fear and anxiety in his voice as he slammed the door shut and locked the car behind him. I saw him running toward the… what did my teacher say it was in the picture? I closed my eyes, trying to think. An ambuwance? No… that wasn't right…_

_My eyes snapped open as I heard the door being wrenched open and watched as my dad hurriedly turned on the car and started following the… the… ambulance! That's the word. But when I looked out the window, I saw that the trees and street signs were moving by too fast._

"_Daddy, why are you driving so fast?" I asked. I was scared; I had never seen him like this before. His eyes met mine in the rearview mirror._

"_No reason, honey. We just need to go somewhere, and we need to get there right_ _**now**__, all right? It's nothing to worry about." My dad might not have known it, but he was a terrible liar. I could tell that it was definitely something to worry about. But for now, I decided to ignore it._

"_Okay," I whispered._

_**…**_

_My eyes hurt from the brightness of the lights as my dad carried me into the waiting room of the… hospital? _

_Yes, hospital. The doctor told us that on career day. _

_My dad set me down and headed up to the front desk. After listening to something he frantically said, the lady at the desk glanced at me, her eyes sad, before pointing to a hallway. My dad, muttering a brisk, "Thank you," quickly dragged me down the hallway. I ran to keep up with his furious pace._

_We finally slowed down when we reached the end of the hallway. There was only one room left that we could be heading to._

"_Daddy, where are we going…?" _

_I trailed off as he dropped my hand and walked slowly, hesitantly, closer to the bed. But that wasn't why I stopped. _

_It was because of whom it was lying on the bed, with wires sticking out of her…_

"_Mommy?"_

_**…**_

_I could see my mom struggling to smile. "Bella? Darling?"_

_I took a few small steps forward before running to the edge of the bed and grabbing her outstretched hand. "Mommy," I sobbed. I could hear my dad sniffling behind me._

"_Bella, my sweet, sweet Bella…" I could hear her voice straining with the energy it took to talk. "Sweetie, you have to promise to be a little angel for Daddy, okay?" I felt the tears building up behind my eyes, threatening to spill._

"_Mommy, what happened? Why are we here?" My mom closed her eyes briefly, trying to gather the energy to respond. "Mommy?" _

"_Darling," she finally whispered, too tired to keep talking, "Remember that I love you okay? No matter where I am, even if you can't see me. I love you." I felt her grip on me loosening._

"_Mommy, you'll be fine. Right? Daddy, tell Mommy that she'll be fine." I blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay._

"_Michael, I'm so sorry―__"_

"_Don't talk like that," my dad interrupted, coming closer. I moved away, waiting for my dad to tell my mom that everything was going to be fine._

"_But Michael, I feel so… tired. So sleepy. I just want to go to sleep." I heard her faint whisper in the silence of the room._

"_Marissa, don't__―__you can't__―__I won't let you__―"_

"_I'm sorry," was the last thing she said before a loud noise started up. It was really annoying. But I wasn't focused on that._

_No, I was terrified for a completely different reason. _

_Mommy's eyes were closed. She wasn't moving. _

_Daddy started to cry right in front of me, shouting for someone to hurry up and for Mommy to stay. But Mommy wasn't going anywhere, was she? She was still here on the bed._

_My eyes grew big as a bunch of people in white clothes rushed into the room with a big machine with them. I flattened myself against the far wall to stay out of their way. _

_I heard one of them, a nice-looking man, shouting out "Clear!" every few seconds. After a few times, though, he stopped, apologizing to my father. Why was he apologizing? _

_And why was my dad kneeling on the floor next to the bed, sobbing and begging for my mom to come back?_

_As the man, who I guessed was a doctor, glanced in my direction, his eyes widened. Nudging a lady next to him, he nodded toward me. She gasped audibly when she saw me and hurried to my side. _

"_Oh, my poor dear. Come here. Let's step outside, shall we?"_

_As she took my hand and led me out of the room, I caught one last glimpse of the scene behind me. This time, a white sheet was covering my mom's face. I had a bad feeling of what might've happened. _

"_Mommy?" I whispered, the tears finally spilling over._

_**…**_

_I could see the grief written clearly in my father's eyes as he paced back and forth in front of me in the lobby of the hospital. I fought hard not to cry again as he turned around slowly, uncoordinated, to face me. _

"_Bella," he began in a lifeless tone. He sat down―more like fell down―in the chair next to me. "No matter what you do, you have to promise to stay in this room, right here. Just… stay sitting in this chair. Don't move, okay?" I just looked at him, not yet comprehending. I was only five. Almost six, but technically still five._

"_Do you understand that? And no matter what happens, remember that I love you. Forever and always." He whispered the last part, hugging me close and resting his forehead on mine. A deep fear settled in the bottom of my stomach. Those words… they were just like the last words Mommy said to me._

"_But Daddy, I―__"_

"_I… I'll be back. I promise."_

_**…**_

"_I am so sorry, dear." The lady that took me out of the room was sitting next to me again. It had been almost thirty minutes since Daddy had said he would be back. Where was he?_

"_Where did Mommy go?" I asked hesitantly. _

_The lady just smiled sadly. It looked as if she would be crying if she could. "She… she's in a better place now. She's with… she's with God now." She said sadly._

_I still didn't get it. "When will she come back?"_

"_She won't come back, dear," the lady said slowly, afraid of my reaction. My mom had always told me that God was good; that he would always take care of anyone who believed in him. Mommy believed in him, so…_

"_Is she happy there?" I asked the lady seriously. The lady looked at me, stunned, before quickly shaking off her shock._

"_Yes, dear. She's happy there. She'll be able to watch over you, too." The lady added, trying to smile. _

"_Well, if Mommy is happy, then I'm okay with that," I said, looking at my hands. I was sad, but Mommy always said that you should do what made you happy. So if she was happy, I couldn't say no. "I wish I was able to say good-bye, though. And maybe hug her again."_

_A small tear fell from the lady's eyes as she reached out to give me a hug. Little did I realize that I was crying again, too._

_**…**_

_I guess I had fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was in a small room lying on a bed. The sheets had Cinderella on them, along with some other Disney princesses._

_There were a few people, along with the lady from the hospital, talking with two other people, who were obviously a couple. Keeping my eyes closed, I tried to hear the parts of the conversation that I could._

"_Such a tragedy, losing both parents in one night."_

"_And the mom was only __**one**__ of the several that died in that night's shooting."_

"_And get this: they didn't even catch the guy yet."_

"_That's absurd! The police were already at the scene!"_

"_Apparently, he escaped from the back, pretending to be a shopper fleeing from the area."_

"_Of all the things…"_

"_And the father… I was there… he completely broke down when her heart gave out. It made me want to honestly cry."_

"_If only he could've been a bit more careful, he wouldn't have gotten hit__―__"_

"_How is it __**his**__ fault? It was a drunk driver that ran into him. He can't control that."_

"_But if he hadn't been so emotional when he was behind the wheel, he wouldn't have whipped the car around to try to avoid the inevitable, and it might've just saved his life."_

"_True, but the accident was not his fault."_

"_Of course not, no. And besides…"_

"_What?"_

"_Some were saying… at the scene of the accident… that maybe… it wasn't an accident."_

"_What?!"_

_And this was where their voices got really low. I wasn't sure if the little bits I heard were even correct._

"_The driver…"_

"_Only assumed he was drunk…"_

"_Suffocating presence of alcohol…"_

"_Driver himself wasn't found…"_

"_Assumed dead…"_

"_Found an ID…"_

"_Fake…" _

_And then, after an awkward pause, they started talking about my dad again._

"_If he hadn't been so stressed, though, his heart might've survived the suddenness of the impact__―__"_

"_You're right. His heart just __**barely **__made it through the incident. But he passed away due to extensive brain damage, not cardiac arrest."_

"_Really? I thought he died because his heart stopped… I'm sorry, I'm not a doctor…"_

"_It's completely alright. But the thing we have to worry about now is how to tell the little girl. She can't be any more than five…"_

_They stopped talking when they noticed that I was awake and staring at them._

"_Where is Daddy?" I asked, wanting to get it over with. As soon as they left, I could cry all I wanted, but I didn't want to cry in front of strangers. _

_The people were exchanging glances, unsure of what to say. The lady from the hospital got up and sat on the bed next to me._

"_I don't know how to tell you this, dear…" the lady hesitated. "You see, Bella, your parents__―__"_

"_They both went to God?" I asked before she had a chance to finish. Might as well be blunt. _

_My mind and body were numb from the physical and emotional stress of the day, and my throat hurt from all the crying I had done. _

_The lady looked very startled. "Did you hear us talking?" She asked slowly._

_I nodded._

"_How much exactly?" She asked, even more surprised._

"_Everything," I whispered._

**…**

"Bella?" Someone was shaking my shoulder. "Bella!"

My eyes flew open, and I looked around, startled. Alice was laughing.

"What… what happened?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. I heard Edward laughing from the driver's side, too, even though he was trying to hide it.

"You fell asleep a few hours into the drive, silly," Alice said, smiling. "We're back home now."

I slowly got out of the car. They must've thought it was because the sleepiness hadn't worn off yet.

Home.

People always say something along the lines of "home is where the heart is."

If that's the case… I have no home. I lost it years ago.

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**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

* * *

**If you didn't understand the part of the flashback about the drunk driver, well, the point is that there _was_ no drunk driver. They assumed he was drunk because the cabin of the truck reeked of alcohol. They found an ID, but turns out it was fake. No such person worked for that trucking company. **

**So who exactly killed her parents? And since her mom died in a shooting... do you think it was just a coincidence that both died in the same night?**

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**Wow, I can't believe I updated so soon. But this chapter had been sitting on my flashdrive for so long, and all I had to do was edit the parts not in italics before posting it up.**

**I'm sorry if it didn't live up to your expectations, but this isn't the end of the accident scene. I mean, that's all Bella would remember since she was five (I'm pretty sure I messed up a lot in her flashback since I don't know how to explain things using five-year-old vocabulary...) but it isn't all there is. Bella will learn a lot more about her own past as she returns to her... 'roots'.**

**―Sonia**


	24. Progress in the Wrong Direction

**Chapter 22: Progress in the Wrong Direction**

**August 24, 2012: Cullen Residence, Bella's Guest Room**

* * *

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

―John Lennon

* * *

Alice was the only one who had bought anything at the mall. Apparently, she had spent around a hundred and fifty dollars. In contrast, I had earned about a two hundred dollars by the time we left.

At Olive Garden, I had noticed that Edward and Alice, just like me, had ordered relatively small dishes. (I, however, have my reasons.)

But even though they did order something, I didn't at even one point during the forty-five minutes we were there see them directly put the food in their mouths. Every time I looked up, they would either be "chewing" or playing with their food.

Whatever they did, their plates were empty in the end.

Alice, thankfully, had given me the option of having my own room for the night. I gratefully took up the offer.

Esme had been kind as well, informing me that I was free to wake up at any hour to get a snack from the kitchen. I had barely managed to thank her before Alice shoved me into my room to change and do whatever I needed to before we watched a movie.

I had already changed into a pair of comfy sweatpants and a tank top, but I still couldn't get myself to get up.

I blamed the inexplicably comfy bed.

And that was when I heard a knock on my door. "Bella?"

Crap.

"Yes, Alice?"

"You coming? We should start the movie soon… Emmett's getting impatient."

Tell him to stuff it.

"I'll be right there."

"Okay. And I'll have some options set out so we can, I don't know, vote or something." There was a pause. "And hurry up!" she added as an afterthought.

I heard her footsteps receding down the hallway.

I waited till it was completely silent before getting up lazily and turning toward the dressing table―one that you would see in a master bedroom, not a guest room―and scrutinizing the person I saw staring back at me in the mirror.

She was a complete stranger to me.

Isabella Marie Swan, the girl in the mirror, wasn't me. Not even _close_.

Appearance-wise, I guess we were pretty similar. But everything else… personality, capabilities, style, attitude… we couldn't be more different.

It was a miracle that people were even buying that I was still… _her_.

"Bella!" I heard Alice shriek from somewhere in the house. I groaned.

"Coming!" I shouted back, finally standing up and making my way towards the door.

**…**

"It's about time," Alice muttered as I entered the living room. I realized that everyone was already here―Rosalie and Emmett on the love seat, and Jasper and Alice on the couch. Well, everyone but Edward. "Did you fall asleep or what?"

"Something like that," I answered vaguely as I plopped down pretzel-style onto the only unoccupied sofa. "So what are we watching?"

"We're trying to pick between The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Hunger Games. We haven't been able to agree on anything yet, so what do you pick?"

**(A/N: Actual choices were going to be The Avengers, Skyfall, and Iron Man 3, but Skyfall came out November 9, 2012, and Iron Man 3 came out on May 3, 2013. It's only August 24, 2012 in the story, though, so…)**

"I don't know. The Avengers?" I shrugged.

Not that I was going to pay any attention to the movie.

Alice was about to put the DVD in when she froze, as if something just occurred to her. It was the first time I noticed the piano music playing in the background.

"Edward!" she screeched. I cringed at the pitch of her voice. The piano also cut off abruptly. "Get yourself over here!"

"Before Alice make us go deaf," Emmett added, earning a glare from Alice.

Edward walked into the room a few seconds later, also getting a glare―a much scarier one―from Alice. But he just shook it off, grinning. A small part of me noticed that it was just a bit crooked.

But hey, it _was_ cute…

_Shut up, Bella._

While Alice was putting the DVD in, Edward looked around trying to find a seat. Without needing too look around, I realized that the only open seat would be next to… me.

I had two options now.

I could a.) stare straight at the TV and ignore the fact that he was looking my way.

Or I could b.) move over a bit, inviting him to sit next to me.

_I_ would've chosen Option A in a heartbeat.

But Bella… well… she was a nicer person. And I was supposed to be Bella. Right?

And that's what made me meet Edward's eyes, move over a little, and pat the empty space next to me, inviting him to sit next to me

_It's just to keep up your image. Err… _Bella's_ image_, I told myself, trying to rationalize my actions in my head. I barely noticed how I was constantly differentiating myself from 'Bella'.

"Thanks," Edward whispered, sitting down as Alice took her own seat next to Jasper. He ran his hand through his hair once, something that he'd been doing a lot today.

"No problem," I whispered back, smiling. "Hey… was that you, playing the piano just now?"

He looked down, as if he were embarrassed. "Yes." I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hear that, it was so soft. But I pretended I did.

"You play well," I murmured as the movie started up.

_No, no, no! Why are you even talking to him? You've already made too many mistakes in their presence: hacking the Xbox just to beat Emmett and robbing all those people right in front of him and Alice! Now you're just going to slip up _again_, and ruin _everything_…_

"Thanks." And that was the end of that conversation. I hated to admit it, but just those few sentences (more like words) that we exchanged had already sped up my heartbeat. Thank god he couldn't hear it…

In the next second, all attention was on the TV (home theater would be more accurate) as the opening scenes began playing.

**… (A/N: I'm not about to describe the Avengers scene by scene… too lazy.) ...**

I blinked a few times as the ending credits started scrolling across the screen. That felt a lot longer than the two hours and twenty minutes it was supposed to be.

"That was a good movie," Alice said, yawning. Her eyes were drooping, much like everyone else's. I pushed myself to act sleepy as well.

"Never underestimate the entertainment value of the Hulk Smash," Emmett added, grinning.

Everyone laughed. I thought my laugh was convincing enough, but the look in Jasper's eyes when he glanced over at me made me think otherwise.

I suddenly felt trapped. These people… they knew more than they were letting on. They weren't normal. And suddenly, the bits of conversation I heard in the car made sense.

"…_Just a glitch in the system." _

"_We all know that was no glitch."_

"_I know. But what other explanation is there?"_

The Xbox. That was about the Xbox! So they knew!

_But Bella, that's impossible. No one would've noticed the minor changes in the settings unless they practically memorized how the screen should've looked! And after they turn it off, it was supposed to disappear… leaving no trace of it having ever been there! Not even the freaking CIA should've been able to trace it!_

I needed to get out of here. I couldn't think with this unnatural calmness taking over the room.

Alice, somehow, seemed to know what I was about to say. "We should sleep," she said, looking me over. "You look tired, Bella."

I nodded, not about to disagree. I stood up slowly, as did the rest of the Cullens, and started walking up the stairs to my room.

* * *

**August 24, 2012: Cullen Residence, Bella's Guest Room, almost midnight**

* * *

I was lying face-up on my bed, staring at the ceiling when a knock on the door startled me into a sitting position.

"Bella?"

_Is it… it sounds like…_

Opening the door, I took a step back in surprise.

"Edward?"

"Sorry I disturbed you," he began in a calm, musical voice (shut up, Bella). "I just wanted to know if we could… talk."

I was immediately on guard as I motioned for him to come in to my room. "About what?" I asked, suspicious. I wasn't prepared for this. If he brought up the―

"During the lockdown―"

_Goddammit._

"―We were in Biology, and―"

"What do you want, Edward?" I interrupted coldly. He looked startled by my sudden hostility.

"I want an explanation."

Not likely.

"I was in the bathroom when it was announced," I lied confidently. "So I just locked the door and hid in there, waiting for the police to come." It had the right effect―his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"But… you…"

"What do you _think _happened?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. _Okay, just calm down, Bella. Don't panic and give everything away. First figure out exactly how much he saw._

"We were in Biology. The secretary announced a lockdown. And you, along with the Fischers… walked out of the room. _After_ it had been announced. One of the intruders was declared dead on the spot, and the other one is in a coma, but you six were the only ones who were out in the hallways… and Gemma is missing, yet no one has filed a missing persons report for her. It's as if she never even existed."

_Fuck you, Edward Cullen. Just… fuck you._

I stared at him, my expression incredulous, though what I really felt was anger, shock, and… awe; he had seen _everything_. And he even noticed how Gemma was missing… something that not even my dad had noticed, since no one reported it. No one in _Forks High School_ even questioned it.

I immediately went on the defensive.

"You think I left the room during a lockdown?" I asked sarcastically.

He nodded stiffly.

"No one will believe that, you know."

Edward stared at me for a few seconds before running a hand through his hair. "I wasn't going to tell anybody."

My eyes widened, and for a second my true emotions were visible on my face. Shock, confusion, and disbelief were evident before I reconstructed my carefully designed expression.

"Then why does it matter?" I asked harshly, careful not to break eye contact. It was a mistake only an incompetent liar would do.

"It matters to me," he replied, not breaking eye contact either. "If I'm going to lie to the police about what I saw, there should be a good reason as to why I'm doing it."

He was asking me to trust him. But this… this was something I couldn't compromise on.

"Can't you just let it go? It's in the past now."

He just stared at me, waiting. His eyes were darker now, almost black.

"You're not going to let it go, are you?"

"No."

"In that case…" I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "I hope you enjoy disappointment."

He nodded, his near-black eyes trying to figure out my expression, and muttered something that sounded like "Goodnight" under his breath before walking out of the room.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. Some of the dialogues in Edward and Bella's conversation are from the chapter "Phenomenon" where Edward saves Bella from Tyler's van.**

* * *

**As always, review for this chapter! How did you like Edward and Bella's conversation?**

**-Sonia**

* * *

****Edit as of 7/1/13: I realized that since I deleted the A/N that took up a whole chapter (This, My Friends, Is Serious), all of those people who reviewed to the last chapter weren't able to review to this. Sorry! I guess I'll just have to take it out later, after I finish this whole thing... that's depressing.**


	25. Sleeplessness Is Contagious

**Chapter 23: Sleeplessness Is Contagious**

**August 25, 2012: Cullen Residence, Bella's Guest Room, around 9:00 AM**

* * *

"Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results."

―Narcotics Anonymous, _Narcotics Anonymous_

* * *

Run.

I was almost giddy with relief as the answer to my problem finally became clear (after _hours_ of staring at the ceiling).

_Run_. It was that simple.

Nothing too elaborate―I just needed to get out of the United States as quickly and efficiently as possible. There was no need to devise an intricate plan to escape.

Besides, it wasn't like I was any good at devising an intricate escape plan any way; that was Zach's department. I was the attack strategist―I planned out the actual heist, while Zach worked out any kinks and designed an escape.

Running, though… it came so naturally to me that now I'm confused as to why I haven't thought of it till now.

Getting out of Forks was actually really easy―I just had to convince Charlie that I was going to Seattle… but I had no car.

Okay, so I get someone to drive me to Seattle. Still easy, right? Then I'd have to somehow ditch them, hijack another (preferably faster) car, get to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport, and then get on the next flight out of Seattle.

I'd definitely be the news of Forks by the end of the day; Charlie _was_ the chief of police, after all.

So I had to stay off the radar, which would make money a problem. I couldn't use a credit card, considering that I'd be in a different country, but also because it could be traced. That would mean I needed cash.

And taking into account _just_ how many planes I might have to board (all by using fake IDs, which would also cost money), I'd need a _lot_ of cash.

I wouldn't be able to draw from my bank account―that would make Charlie suspicious. So I needed a lot of money, and fast…

_No, no, no! Goddammit, Bella!_ I mentally cursed myself while digging my nails into the palms of my hands. I wouldn't… I couldn't…

But somehow, the logical part of me knew that it was the only option.

_Sterling Bank. 1020 South Forks Avenue._

I pushed away the hopelessness that suddenly clawed at my heart and decided to consider what would have to be done if I did, in fact, have to rob a bank.

It'd need to be at the last possible minute, obviously. Either that, or I'd need to disappear without a trace as soon as I robbed it. Meaning I'd need help.

I sighed in annoyance, unclenching my hands. I was going to have to call up Aria for this…

* * *

**August 25, 2012: Cullen Residence, Bella's Guest Room, around 10:00 AM**

* * *

After rolling around in bed for about another hour, I decided that I might as well get up. Besides, I thought I smelled pancakes from downstairs…

Not bothering to take a shower yet, I stepped out of my room silently. After looking both ways to see if I was alone in the hall, I started downstairs.

"Bella?" Esme called from the kitchen as I trudged down the last few stairs. "You're up already?"

I smiled and shrugged as I walked into the kitchen where Esme was, in fact, making pancakes.

I tried not to dwell on the fact that she had no way of knowing it was me that was coming downstairs since it was impossible to see the staircase from where she was standing in the kitchen.

"I'm a light sleeper," I mumbled as I leaned awkwardly against the island.

Esme smiled back. "It's not a bad thing. On the contrary, I think it's rather nice for a change, since everyone in this household sleeps like a log." She chuckled softly.

A door slammed open upstairs. "I'm awaaaake!" Alice sang as she skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Her hair looked messed up, presumably from tossing around in bed. In fact, it didn't look like she really slept that well, taking into account the ever-constant purple bruises under her eyes.

Not that any of those things made her look any less perfect.

She lit up when she saw the pancakes. "Pancakes!" she squealed, excited. Esme laughed, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Only if you wake up your brothers and sister first," Esme said, flipping over another golden-brown pancake and setting it on a plate.

Alice sighed. "Fine… hey, Bella, why don't you help?" She grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Why not?"

* * *

**Edward POV**

* * *

Pretending to be asleep was bordering on painful, although I guess the bed was decently comfortable. I had gone to the store with Emmett, who wouldn't stop teasing me the whole time, and Jasper, who had tried but failed to not laugh at my irritation, to buy a bed for the basement, remembering how I had told Bella that I slept there.

But before that, I remembered discussing the conversation Alice had literally pushed me into having with Bella.

"_I hate you, Alice."_

"_Come on, don't be so irritable. You did get a lot out of that conversation." Despite how annoying she could be, I knew she was right. _

"_Yeah, like the fact the Bella here knows how to stand up against Eddie and―what does Jessica call it? His complete gorgeousness!" _

"_Shut up, Emmett." I glared at him, but it just made him laugh harder._

"_You have to admit, even Emmett's right in this case," Jasper put in. Everyone turned to look at him in surprise, including Emmett._

_He decided to elaborate. "A normal human, first of all, wouldn't have been able to talk back to one of us like that. They would've been distracted, at the least, by our presence in itself. And no doubt, Edward, you were trying to charm her into telling you the truth―"_

_Emmett guffawed._

"―_But I didn't register any sign in her emotions that she even recognized it, let alone actually fall for it."_

_Rosalie frowned. "So you think that she's not a normal human?"_

"_Well, that kind of goes without saying, doesn't it? She hacked the Xbox. Then she pickpockets over forty people right in front of Alice and Edward, with an accomplice, but it's in such a way that the average human wouldn't have caught it."_

"_And," Alice started, "Even her decisions during that were completely on the spot. That would mean that her actions were either spur of the moment―"_

"―_Or they were so well practiced that she doesn't have to think them through anymore," I finished._

"_Is she a thief?" Emmett finally asked, breaking the silence that took over after I spoke._

_Jasper shook his head. "No, I don't think so… but I wouldn't say that she isn't one either. I just don't think that's all there is to the story. Let's face it, thieves can be masters of deceit. They also know to be 'prepared for the unprepared', but that's only when it involves the act of thieving itself."_

_Without us asking, Jasper knew he had to explain because of all the confusion coming from everyone. "A thief would know how to react perfectly in situations that involve thieving, lying, deceiving… anything along those lines. But covering up the truth when they know it's hopeless, combined with the fact that they're hiding it from vampires? I doubt that even the most professional thief out there would be able to do that."_

"_Are you saying she's 'immune' to us or something?" Rosalie raised an eyebrow. "Because her heart rate did speed up when Edward entered the room last night for the movie."_

_Jasper smirked. "I think that was for a… different reason." He coughed lightly, glancing at me, while Alice started giggling again._

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of the basement door opening and two pairs of footsteps slowly coming down the stairs.

_Don't you dare wake up yet, Edward. This is going to be fun._

I knew immediately by the way Alice was blocking her thoughts and the way her and Bella were giggling almost uncontrollably that something bad was going to happen.

Jasper had already been awake by the time Alice and Bella had arrived at his room. Rosalie had also been up, and Emmett had gotten up after Alice threatened his videogames.

I couldn't help but feel a little nervous over what they were so excited about…

"Edward?" Alice called out, a few feet from my bed. _Don't wake up… not yet…_

I rolled over, my back to her.

And that is why I now have trouble with trusting Alice all the time.

"Now?" I heard Bella ask quietly.

"Now!"

I jumped out of my bed just a bit faster than the average human would have when the ice cold water hit my face.

"What the hell, Alice?" I all but shouted at her, ignoring Esme reprimanding me in her thoughts for my language. She and Bella were doubled over, laughing hysterically. The bucket Bella had been holding was on the floor, rolling away.

_They got you good, bro!_ Emmett's thoughts showed how they had quietly made their way downstairs, Bella holding the bucket. Everyone upstairs was laughing, even Carlisle and Esme.

"I will get you back for this, Alice," I muttered, wanting to take a shower before heading upstairs. That just made the two of them laugh harder.

As I walked away, pushing my dripping hair out of my eyes, a small part of my brain noted that I had never seen Bella laugh so freely.

It was actually quite adorable.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

* * *

**So Bella finally knows how to get out of Forks! Kind of... How do you guys think the Cullens should be involved in this? I mean, I know how I'm going to involve them (somewhat) in the bank robbery (which _will_ happen), but how about the whole Paris, France thing? Review your suggestions! Or PM them, if you prefer...**

**-Sonia**


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